New Friends Forever
by KittyZozo3366
Summary: A new pony has moved into Ponyville, but her parents fear for her after she leaves. Because of being a loner, her parents want her to make new friends. Trying to make a living as an artist can be tough on its own, especially in a small town, but when she meets the Mane Six, who knows what she'll find out about friendship! R&R is recommended.
1. A New Friend

The sun had risen in the east, like it always did every morning. The light shined brightly on my face, immediately waking me. I was out in the woods, almost to where I had decided to move to. It was a quaint place called Ponyville. I had decided instead of taking the main path, I would take a more scenic route. The scenic route was worth it, with everything there was to see. I would soon get to my new home, which was in sight of where I was standing.

I walked into town, and it was even more beautiful than the pictures I had seen and drew of it. I got to my house, walked in, seeing boxes lying around, and quickly started pulling some books out of one box. I almost had the shelf filled when I heard a knock on the door. _That's strange, _I thought, _why should anyone be at the door? Unless it's the mailman, but why would he be knocking-!_

An explosion of pink came bolting through the door. Another pony walked in behind her, a unicorn to be exact. The pink thing, which was another pony, was jumping up and down. She quickly zipped over to me, and quickly introduced herself. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?" I answered, "My name-!"

"It's really nice to meet you," Pinkie Pie went on. "I haven't met anyone with a Cutie Mark like yours! Does it mean you're a drawer? Or a writer? Or something else that has to do with paper and pencils?" The pink pony had me in a corner, going on and on about something. I was sure the purple unicorn would get her to stop. Eventually, she did. The unicorn sighed, walked over, and explained to her friend, "Look, Pinkie, you're scaring our new friend away. Remember the last time you did that?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Pinkie Pie apologized. I sighed, "It's okay. So, as I was saying, my name is Doodledraw. I'm a drawer where I come from." The purple one said, "My name's Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you." Twilight then did something I had only read about. She used _magic, _which was coming from her horn, and carried a box in. She explained, "We heard someone new was moving in, so we got you a house-warming gift."

I eagerly opened the box, only for a monster to jump out. I screamed, "**_It's a Crocodile_**!" Pinkie Pie laughed, and said, "No, silly, that's Gummy, my pet." The little creature jumped out, and I looked into the box again. There was only an empty plate, with a few crumbs. Pinkie looked in it too. She groaned, "Aw! Gummy ate all the cookies!" She went over to the crocodile and scolded him. "Bad Gummy! You can't eat cookies that are meant for friends! You're grounded, mister! No more sweets for the week!"

"You know what, Twilight?" I asked. "I'll meet up with you at your house in a while. And Pinkie Pie, you can make me more cookies if you'd like." The two left in a minute, and I started unpacking stuff again. After a while, I got tired. _I might as well head out for a snack and get some fresh air, _I thought. I went outside, locked the door, and I looked up at the sky. The sun was slowly moving down towards the west, but was still near the peak.

I also noticed something else. There was a small speck in the way of the sun. The speck started to get larger. It finally came into view. It was a blue Pegasus, and she was heading _straight towards me. _I didn't have any time to move before I heard a "Look out!" and then a crash. I blacked out for a second, only to wake up with this Pegasus on top of me. She shook her head, and said, "Sorry! Didn't notice you there while I was making my landing. I'm Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Doodledraw, and as the name suggests, I like to, well, draw."

"How do you do that?" She pointed to my forehead. "You don't have a horn."

"Simple." I pulled out a pencil and paper from a box inside, came back out, and started drawing while sitting on the picnic table. The way I drew was simple: I gripped the pencil using the bend between my front legs. I was done drawing the picture. I was happy with it, so I showed it to Dash. "Well, what do you think?"

"Eh, I don't know who this pony is."

I laughed. "It's you, silly!"

"Oh. Well, you need to color it in first. There are a few ponies who wear their hair like that." As we were talking, another pony that Rainbow seemed to know passed us by. She was yellow, had a pink mane, and her Cutie Mark was three pink butterflies. The rainbow-haired pony said to the pink-haired one, "Oh, hi Fluttershy."

"Hi, Rainbow Dash," the pony softly said. I walked up to her and said, "Hi. I'm Doodledraw. Nice to meet you." She looked back at Dash and asked, "I'm going out for lunch, Rainbow Dash. Would you like to come?"

"Sure! I'd love to!"

"Um, would you like to come too, Doodledraw?"

"No, thanks." Then I thought, _Oh, no! I have no idea where to get lunch. _I then overheard Fluttershy say something about a place called "Sweet Apple Acres." Now, I had an idea of where to go for lunch. I asked some ponies where it was, and once I knew where it was, I ran as fast as I could in the right direction.

Finally, I was there. It seemed that there was nopony there, so I just headed in without a worry. I walked through a maze of apple trees. All looked tempting to eat, but without someone around to pay, I couldn't just _steal_ one! I then thought out loud, since there was no one there, "I'm sure they wouldn't mind if just _one _apple were missing…" I slowly reached in to eat an apple that was lying on the ground…

"You better not eat that apple without paying for it!" Some voice said in the distance. I turned around, only to see somepony in the distance. "And yes, I would mind if even a _single apple seed _went missin'!" The pony ran down as fast as I had seen a pony run in my life. I met her face to face only a few seconds later. She was orange, had freckles, and a yellow mane. She welcomed me with a "Howdy."

"H-howdy," I said back, still stunned by how fast she was going. "I'm Doodledraw."

"My name's Applejack. My folks aren't here at the moment, so it's pretty quiet. Why haven't I seen you in town before?"

"Because I'm new here. I suppose you want me to meet all of your friends, don't you?"

"Actually, I'd be thrilled to show you them! They're all waiting up at somepony's house. All Pinkie Pie gave me was the address. Do you know who lives there?" She pulled a piece of paper out of a satchel on her back with her teeth, and it fell on the ground. I looked at it, seeing the address scribbled on. I immediately knew whose house it was.

"That's my address. So Pinkie's throwing a party for me?"

"Apparently. Did you just move in today?"

"Yes, I did."

"So that's why. Pinkie's famous for her parties. She must be throwing in a Movin'-In Party for you." Well, that was nice of her. A.J. then ran out of the apple orchards, I following behind. I asked her, "Where are you going?"

"Into town! I can't miss one of Pinkie Pie's world-famous parties!" She headed past the arch, and was soon out of Sweet Apple Acres. My stomach growled. _Ugh! I still need lunch! How could I forget to pay her? _I thought. _Well, maybe Twilight has some lunch. It's about time I should visit her, after all. _I ran out of the orchards, back into Ponyville, and into the library, Twilight's house.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I was completely terrified by what was waiting for me at the door. It was a dragon; technically, a baby dragon. I hid behind some random piece of furniture, shaking with fear. The dragon stared at me in confusion. His eyes then brightened. He exclaimed, "Oh! You must be the new pony Twilight was talking about. Hi, I'm Spike." He held out a claw for me to shake, and I did so nervously.

He only laughed. "There's no need to be scared," he explained. "I'm actually quite friendly." I jumped out from the random piece of furniture. I chuckled, "Well, if that's the case, then nice to meet you, Spike." The door then opened. Twilight came in, carrying a letter using her horn.

"Doodledraw, I, uh, heard you came in," Twilight said, acknowledging my earlier outburst. She then held up a letter. "I got a letter that says to come over to your house at 2. And it's in Pinkie's hoof-writing. She must be throwing a Moving-In Party for you. Are you excited?"

"Yeah," I said half-heartedly. I knew she could see that I was starving. She cleared her throat. "I, uh, know you're new around here and all, but how about I treat you to lunch?"

"Yes! YES! YES!" I said, running out the door to the restaurant. I skidded to a stop as I realized something. I came back to the doorway, and asked Twilight, "Um, where's the café?" She chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll show you." We walked to the café, and after a satisfying lunch, we talked for a bit, and were still talking on the way to my house.

"So, your talent is magic? Really?"

"Yes, really. I didn't know it at first, but let's just say that friends help you no matter what."

"So, a friend helped you find your cutie mark?"

"Well, sorta. You see, I hadn't met Rainbow Dash yet-!"

"SURPRISE!" Someone yelled out. I then realized: We were at my house! Pinkie Pie jumped out, and explained, "I made this party for you! We didn't have a place to set up food, so we took some of the tables you had in boxes and took them out for you!"

"Thank you!" I said to Pinkie Pie. She happily hopped away, and the ponies started talking amongst each other. I walked towards the cupcake table, attempting to eat one. As I was eating, I listened to a conversation Rainbow Dash and Applejack were having.

"Ha! You _really _think you're the fastest pony on hoof around here?" R.D. said to her cowgirl friend.

"Yes, yes I do, especially since _I _beat you fair and square at the Runnin' of the Leaves race."

"Actually, you both tied for last!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. Rainbow Dash gave Pinkie a mean look, and she went away, knowing she wasn't wanted. The Pegasus went on with the conversation. "Still, if we had a rematch, I would **_so_** beat you, even without flying!"

Applejack laughed, "You're on, Rainbow." Twilight, who was walking by said, "I'd like to be in the race as well."

"If Twilight's in this race, I'd like to be in it too," I said, joining in on the conversation. Fluttershy, who also passed by, politely said, "I'd like to race as well, if nobody minds." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Fine. You can all be in the race. Does 9:00 through the EverfreeForest sound good?"

I looked at them, and asked, "The Everfree Forest? Isn't that place dangerous? Not to mention Zecora lives there…"

"Don't worry," Twilight said. "Zecora's a good friend of ours. She'll help us if anything goes wrong." The five ponies walked away and went on with the party. I met a few more of the guests, until they all left. After everyone was gone, I pulled a quill out of one of the boxes, and started writing a letter to my parents.

_ Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ I have finally gotten settled in Ponyville. Today, I learned that you can meet new friends anywhere at anytime. I have met several wonderful ponies. One of which I hope to make friends with is Twilight Sparkle. She's a unicorn that is very talented with magic, and the most faithful student of Princess Celestia._

_ That's right. Princess Celestia._

_ I also met a hyperactive and maybe crazy pony named Pinkie Pie. She owns a bakeshop called Sugar Cube Corner. She threw a great Moving-In Party for me. I'll have to recommend her to my friends back home._

_ Then I bumped right into this Pegasus named Rainbow Dash. She's sporty, and loves to win. She has a need for speed that can never be filled. She said she used to want to be a member of the Wonderbolts, but once she had heard that meant leaving her friends, she passed on the offer. She's very loyal to her friends as well._

_ Then I met Fluttershy. She's a soft-spoken pony who's very shy, but also very kind. She has many animal friends, and loves them all very much._

_ I almost stole from this pony named Applejack. She's a pony who lives out in the country. She's hard-working, athletic (which, naturally, she has a rivalry with Rainbow) and honest. All these ponies seem like they'd be good friends to have. So, I think this was a good place to move to after all._

_ Love,_

_ Doodledraw_

I neatly folded the letter, and placed it in an envelope. I would give it to the mailpony that I met at the party, Derpy Hooves, tomorrow. Until then, I climbed into the bed, and slowly fell asleep.


	2. Breaking Away From the Group

I woke up the next morning knowing what was going to happen. First, I was going to post up a few signs saying that I was taking requests for drawings around Ponyville. Second, I would go to race in the EverfreeForest with my new friends. I was just starting to make some posters when there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and Applejack was there, holding an invitation between her teeth.

"I'm invitin' you to my hoedown," she explained. "I figure you don't know many ponies yet, so I'm throwin' a hoedown this Friday. Everypony and their friends are gonna be there. And don't worry if you don't know many a pony there. They'll be happy to tell you their names." The earth pony came inside, and seeing the printing press, asked, "So what's this?"

"Well, I'm making posters so if somepony wants me to draw something for them, they know who to contact. I _am _an art pony, you know."

"Oh, right. I forgot." Applejack smiled sheepishly. I then said, "I'm going to post these all over Ponyville, and I could use some help. Can you help me, AJ?"

"Well, sure. I am the most dependable of ponies, y'know." We both laughed, and then headed out to post the flyers. Once we were done, we both headed to the EverfreeForest for the race. I saw all the ponies I had met yesterday, as they lined up for the race. Spike, who held the flag that would start the race, explained the rules. "Alright, girls. I want a nice, fair race. No using your unicorn magic, and _absolutely no flying, with or without wings._" Rainbow Dash scoffed at these words. Spike continued, "I also want you guys to keep in mind that this is _for fun. _So there's no advantage to winning, but no disadvantage either. Also, this is the Everfree forest. There are many dangers, and plenty more obstacles."

"Oh, _just get the race started already!_" Rainbow Dash yelled. She was clearly a pony of little patience. Spike held up the flag, and announced, "Alright, on your mark…"

The ponies got in maximum running positions.

"Get set…"

Rainbow Dash and AJ, both very competitive, narrowed their eyes.

"GO!" The ponies began running. Dash and Applejack ran as fast as they could. Pinkie Pie happily bounced along the path. Fluttershy and Twilight walked town the path merrily. I walked up to Twilight, and asked, "Let me guess: You're sprinting right now, so when everypony get's tired later, you can pull ahead of the pack?" Twilight nodded cheerfully, and I decided to follow suit.

We soon came across a patch of odd, blue leaves. As I was about to put my foot in, Twilight yelled, "Stop!" I stood perfectly still. Fluttershy said softly, "Oh, don't step in those! That's poison joke!"

"What's…poison joke?" I asked curiously.

"It's a mysterious plant that only grows in the EverfreeForest," Twi explained. "When someone touches it, it 'pulls a prank' on that person. For instance, when I stepped in it a while back, my horn flopped down and got covered in spots." Knowing what danger I now faced, I backed up a few inches, and bravely jumped over the patch. I tripped on my landing, but knew I was safe. Twilight quickly jumped over as well as Fluttershy flew over, and we all headed towards the rest of them.

We were catching up to Pinkie Pie, who was hopping and giggling merrily all the way. The cheerful mare stopped immediately hopping and giggling when she saw the large, gaping mouth of a cave, and sneaked passed it. When she got to the other side, she started hopping again. I then asked Fluttershy, "What was she so afraid of?"

"Well, um, this is the lair of the Ursas Minor and Major," she replied with a squeak. Twilight explained in a whispery voice, "We must be very quiet, we don't want to wake them after what happened last time." The three of us slowly walked by, Fluttershy nearly having a heart attack she was so scared. As soon as we were past, Twilight let out a sigh of relief, and we head onward in the race.

We were just about to the other edge of the EverfreeForest, and Rainbow Dash was trailing ahead, followed quickly by Applejack. Though we had started slow, we made it to the rest of the group. I then realized Pinkie was crossing the stream. _Oh, no, _I thought. _What if I don't make it? _Twilight crossed, and Fluttershy made it, too, but I skidded to a halt as I got near to the stream. Twi said, "Come on, Doodledraw. It's not that big of a stream."

"Yeah, D.D.," Pinkie said cheerfully. "It's just a hop, skip, and a jump!" She demonstrated, crossing the stream with ease. I prepared myself, readying as I did before. I then jumped over the stream, but as I landed, a great pain spread through my upper right hoof. I cried out in pain, as the three came to my side, ready to help.

"Yes!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "I won! You may now call me…" She trailed off as she and AJ noticed her friends, and they all ran to my side. They all stared in shock of my pain, and Twilight was the first to say, "Let's get Doodledraw back home, where we can get a professional to look at it." She then ordered, "Rainbow, Applejack, since you two are the strongest, use your combined strength and carry her." They followed, and they carried me on their backs, my front carried by the earth pony, my end carried by the Pegasus.

The walk back to Ponyville was a long one, considering Rainbow Dash couldn't fly, and the rest of the group had to wait for Applejack and RD to catch up. Twilight and Pinkie had decided to make the trip more fun by singing songs and telling of their fantastical adventures. We had finally gotten out of the EverfreeForest, and I pointed out where my house was to Applejack, since Rainbow Dash already knew where my house was.

"Okay, you're going to have to rest this limb for three days," Nurse Redheart said while she was wrapping my hoof in gauze. "By then, you should be able to walk on it." The nurse gathered her things and walked out. I sighed, and told Applejack, "Tell whoever wants me to draw something for them to put it on hold. I'm afraid I won't be drawing any time soon." The earth pony nodded as she walked out.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Twilight asked. I was a little shocked by her notion, and said, "Huh?"

"Do you need anything? You know: snacks, books, games, anything that'll make you feel better."

"Well, I, uh, do have some art books I always read when I'm bored."

"I'm on it!" Pinkie Pie said as she headed over to the bookshelf. She grabbed a random book from the bookshelf, and fell off the ladder she was standing on. I chuckled, "No, that's not it. It's in the box labeled 'Art Supplies'." Pinkie began walking over there, but Twilight blocked her path and said, "_I'll _get it." She opened the box using magic and carried the books out one by one over to me. They all landed on my lap, and I said, "Wow. Thanks. No one's ever done this for me…"

"Well, you had friends back home, right?" Twilight asked. "Surely they took the time to see you."

"Actually, this is my first time living without my parents." They stared at me, and then Pinkie Pie said, "Good for you! Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna get cupcakes for you!"

"Really? Cupcakes?!" I couldn't believe how excited my own voice sounded.

"Yep! You deserve sweets when you're sick!" Pinkie Pie happily bounced out of the house while Twilight explained, "I might as well keep you company while you're sick. It's the least I can do." Just as the unicorn was done saying that, Spike came running in with medical supplies.

"I came as soon as I can," the baby dragon explained. "I left as soon as the race began, and I waited for you guys to come back. When no one came in the hour, I walked to Zecora's hut and back looking for you guys, but I saw nopony. Then, I saw ponies crowding around to see something coming out of the EverfreeForest. I was Rainbow Dash and AJ, carrying Doodledraw. I went back home, got all the medical equipment I could carry, and came back."

"Good," I said. "I mean, they already fixed up my leg, but I'm glad you're here. Spike, I need you to write a letter to my parents, please." The dragon picked up a piece of paper, and a pencil, and I began telling him what to say, in detail. After he finished writing it, I told him for me to look it over. I must say his handwriting was different than mine. It said:

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ Today, I learned that true friends are there for you, no matter what. My friend, Spike, will be writing for me today, so this letter's handwriting might be different. I broke my hoof in a race with my friends after jumping a stream (I knew it was a bad idea) and it should be healed up by the time I send my next letter. I don't want to write too much, because there's not much to say, so I'm out._

_ Until I can write again,_

_ Doodledraw_

I handed the letter back to Spike, who almost blew it to Princess Celestia (Twi told me he could do that) but the unicorn stopped him by saying, "Wait, wait, wait! This is for our friend, not Celestia, remember?" Spike then took the letter to the mailbox, and I told him to take the other letter I made, while he's at it. The two left, but they weren't the only visitors I had.

Bonbon saw my injury as well, and brought me a box filled with candy. Golden Harvest brought me some assorted veggies to "keep my strength up," and Pinkie Pie came back with the cupcakes, as promised. Derpy Hooves even brought me a muffin basket when she came for the mail. I ate some of the veggies, then deciding it was time to turn in, although I was already in bed, I put the covers over myself, and fell asleep.


	3. A Hornful of Help

I awoke, a bit groggy from what happened yesterday. I sighed, seeing the books had fallen out of my bed, and since I was on a loft bed, I couldn't pick them up. I ate some of the muffins for breakfast, my hoof still hurting, maybe even worse. Then, Twilight came in, with Spike following behind, and said, "I didn't expect you to be up this early. I decided to keep you company since I don't have anything to do."

"Suit yourself," I mumbled. "The first thing you can do is get these art books back to me. They fell in the floor when I tossed and turned in my sleep." Twi was happy to help, and picked the books up with her magic and gave them to me. I exclaimed, "Wow! I wish you could use your magic, Twilight." Spike then said, "Oh, she ha-!" The unicorn then covered the baby dragon's mouth, in order for him to stop talking.

Twilight let go of his mouth, then Spike said, "Like I was saying, she has a spell that replicates-!"

"Nothing! It does nothing!" Twi shouted, nervous from what Spike was about to say. Twilight sighed, and she knew Spike wasn't gonna give up until she explained it. She explained, "Okay, so a while back, like the wings spell I learned, I learned a spell to give an ordinary pony a horn for an amount of time." A giant smile popped up on my face as I almost fell out of bed from excitement.

"Really?! You can do that?!" I said, sounding more excited than Pinkie Pie probably ever has. Twilight nodded her head as she focused her horn at my forehead, and I cleared my hair out of the way to make some space for my new horn. A bolt of pure purple energy shot out of her horn, and I braced myself. Somehow, there was no pain. I looked up, and saw that now, I was a unicorn.

"This is only a temporary thing," Twilight explained. "It will last until about sundown, and be careful not to get close to open flames." I nodded my head, as I tested out my newfound unicorn abilities. I tried to lift my sketchbook, which wasn't too far from my bed. It started to hover as a pink magic surrounded it. I attempted to lift a pencil from a cup full of them, and succeeded as well. I made them come over to me, and I started drawing something.

Applejack came running in, bursting through the door. She had a notebook in her mouth, and she spit it out as the said, "I asked everypony in town if they wanted commissions from you, and I got about seven people total. I wrote down what they wanted and everything." She then took notice of my horn, and asked, "Uh, why are you a unicorn now?"

"Twilight gave me this," I explained. "So I can draw while my hoof is healing." Applejack walked over to the purple unicorn and asked, "You can do that?"

"Yes, I learned it this summer," Twilight explained. The two left as I started working on commissions. It was hard, as some had to be colored in, but I managed. By the time I was done, the sun was just about to set. My horn was starting to vanish when Twilight came in. She explained, "I came when I was sure all the commissions would be done. I'd be happy to deliver them."

"Sure." I tossed the bundle of drawings to her, and said, "Tell them that if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to finish these in time." Twi blushed at my complement. As she left, I ate some of the veggies, and went back to bed.

The next day wasn't very eventful; unless you think my friends coming to entertain me is "eventful". My friends carried me outside, and made me watch them. Twilight did some magic tricks, but nothing too spectacular. Applejack showed me some of her roping tricks. Rainbow Dash preformed some aerial tricks. Then, for the big finale, Pinkie used her party cannon to launch some fireworks. I then went to bed, tired out from the events of today.

"Okay, I'm going to help you up, dearie." Nurse Redheart helped me up onto my hind hooves, and I tried to walk. I exclaimed, "Ow!" Not only had I landed on the floor, my hoof hurt even more than it did last time. She said, "I don't understand. It should be healed, or at least able to walk on, by now. Well, my medical knowledge expands only this far. If your leg continues to hurt, we may have to amputate."

"Amputate?!" Somepony yelled from outside. My friends were looking in through the windows, and Twilight was the first to speak. Rainbow Dash gave her a small knock on the head, and she explained, "We were supposed to stay silent, egghead!"

"It's okay," The nurse said, walking out of my house as my friends walked in. "If you girls can think of something to heal that leg up, it'd be a miracle." Redheart slammed the door, and my friends went right to examining the hoof.

"I hope it's nothing serious…" Fluttershy said, whimpering at the thought of my leg being cut off.

"She'll be fine, Fluttershy," Twilight reassured her. The unicorn went right to examining the bandage, and she finally asked, "Doodledraw, is it okay if we take off the gauze?" I nodded my head, in too much pain to speak. Twi used her magic to carefully take off the bandage, and when the wound was revealed, everypony gasped.

There were blue bumps, all along my right fore hoof. Applejack pointed out the now- obvious by stating, "Sugarcube, that's more than a minor sprain." Twilight's words about the poison joke came to mind. I then told her, "Twilight, what did the poison joke do to you when you were exposed to it?"

"It made my horn floppy and covered in spots." She then gasped at the realization of what she just said. "DD, that's it! You've been affected by the poison joke! But I don't know how long it will take to cure it, considering you've had it for more than one day." The girls all looked down sadly, but Twilight perked them all back up by saying, "Although I'm sure that Zecora will have a cure for it! To the EverfreeForest!" The ponies cheered as they ran out of the door. As soon as we were outside, Twilight placed me across Rainbow Dash's and Fluttershy's backs. We walked into the EverfreeForest, and I groaned as the pain got worse.

"Don't worry, DD," AJ calmed. "We're almost there." I turned my head to see up ahead, and saw a small hut. Twilight knocked on the door, and a zebra with a Mohawk and various gold pieces of jewelry stepped out. Twilight explained the situation, with Pinkie Pie occasionally jumping in, and the zebra solemnly nodded before saying, "Though the situation may seem dire, I have some help boiling over the fire." Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walked side by side, carrying me into the hut.

By now, I figured that this zebra must be Zecora. She looked at me and explained, "Let me look at the wound, my dear. I must tell you now you have nothing to fear." She must've been talking about the countless rumors about her being an evil enchantress. I extended my hoof, and she gasped at the sight. "Usually the joke isn't that mean, but everything is not always as it seems." She went to the boiling cauldron in the middle of the room, threw a few things in, and the green bubbling mixture turned blue. She took a bandage strip, carefully dipped it in, and placed it on my wound.

"YAHH!" I screamed in pain as the bone-chillingly cold strip was wrapped around my wound. Zecora explained, "I know the gauze is frightfully cold." She then placed a bottle of something in my other hoof, and said, "Put this on the wound when it starts to get old." I smiled at her and exclaimed, "Thanks!" as we all headed back. When we got back, I realized my hoof felt much better, and was able to write another letter to my folks.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ Today, I learned that you should never underestimate the power of your friendship with somepony. It may help you a lot in the long run. I'd also like to tell you of an upcoming event that Applejack gave me an invitation to. It's a hoedown at Sweet Apple Acres, and though you can't make it, my invitation gives me one guest._

_ Yeah, my friends probably won't make it._

_ Also, my hoof has healed up nicely, and I hope I'll be able to make a return trip sometime soon._

_ Love,_

_ Doodledraw_

I decided to go back to resting my hoof for tomorrow, and by then I had some more commissions. It gave me a lot of money over the next few days, and before I knew it, it was the night of the Sweet Apple Acres Hoedown.


	4. Dance Contest!

There I was, arriving at the decked-out barn of Sweet Apple Acres, which was crowded with ponies, and decorated right. Ponies everywhere were dancing, and DJ PON-3 was DJing like there was no tomorrow. Twilight walked over to me and asked, "Do you like the party so far? I think it's pretty nice."

"Actually, I just arrived."

"Oh." The purple pony then commented, "You know what? I haven't seen Pinkie Pie at all."

"Well, that's very unnatural."

"Actually, before I left, she said she had something very important to do."

"I'm sure whatever it is-!"

"Hey, look!" Somepony shouted out, pointing to the small stage in front. "Applejack's gonna make an announcement!" Everypony stopped dancing, turned to look at her, as DJ PON-3 moved out of the way for AJ to speak. The orange earth pony then announced, "Okay, y'all. I have some things I'd like to say before this party continues. First, I'd just like to thank everypony for showin' up, and I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen Pinkie Pie at all tonight. I hope she's okay…" Murmurs of worry and trouble shot up from the crowd. Even I knew it was unnatural for Pinkie to not be at a party, especially one hosted by one of her friends.

"But," Applejack went on, drawing the crowd's attention back in, "I'm sure whatever that mare's doin', it's important to her and needed to be done. The second thing I wanted to say was that I'm gonna be hostin' a singing competition. I mentioned it in some of the invites, so I hope y'all are prepared." Rainbow Dash poked Twi's shoulder, and one of them whispered something to the other about the singing competition, and they both headed someplace out of the way.

I had never found it good for myself to sing in public. And I absolutely couldn't dance. Applejack said, "Alright, I'm gonna start us all out with a giant crowd dance that I know my friends from Appleloosa will love!" The music started and AJ started to sing along:

"_Boom Boom Clop Boom De Clop De Clop  
Boom Boom Clop Boom De Clop De Clop  
Boom Boom Clop Boom De Clop De Clop  
Boom Boom Clop Boom De Clop De Clop_

_ Try It With Me Here We Go  
Boom Boom Clop Boom De Clop De Clop  
That's Right  
Boom De Clop De Clop  
Boom Boom Clop Boom De Clop De Clop _

_ 1, 2, 3 Everybody Come On, Off Your Seats  
I Gonna Tell You, About A Beat, That's Gonna Make You Move Your Hooves  
I'll Give The Bar-B-Q, Show and Tell You How To Move  
If your 5 or 82 This Is Something You Can Do…" _At these lines, everypony got up and danced to the following verses.

_Pop It, Lock It, Polka-Dot-It  
Countrify, then Hip-Hop it  
Put Your Hawk In The Sky, Go Side To Side  
Jump To The Left, Stick It, Glide  
Zig, Zag 'cross The Floor, Shuffle in Diagonal  
When The Drum Hits, Hooves On Your Hips  
One Hoof In, 180 Twist  
And Then a,  
Zig Zag, Step, Slide, Lean In Left, Clop 3 Times  
Shake It Out, Head To Hoof  
Throw It All Together, That's How We Roll  
Do The Hoedown…" _

_"Throw down…"_ The audience sang_  
"Do The Hoedown…" _

_"Throw down…"  
"Do The Hoedown…" _

_"Throw down…"  
"Throw It All Together, That's How We Roll!"  
We Get To 4, 5, 6  
And Your Feeling Busted  
But It's Not Time To Quit,  
Practice Makes You Perfect…"_We all danced in-sync as the orange earth pony repeated the verses. I just did whatever the mare in front of me was doing. When the song was over, everypony clopped for Applejack, and Fluttershy timidly made it onto the stage. The shy Pegasus started out by saying, "Well, um, this is a song that I've finally chalked up the courage to sing in public. I hope you all like it. It may not be a dance song, but, um, I hope you like it." DJ PON-3 gave Fluttershy the mike, and placed it gently in her hooves. I then noticed she was dressed in a sparkly black dress. The yellow pony noted, "This song isn't dedicated to anypony special." She then pointed for the DJ to start playing the tune. She sang beautifully:

_ "It's been said and done  
Every beautiful thought's been already sung  
And I guess right now here's another one  
So your melody will play on and on, with best of us  
You are beautiful, like a dream come alive, incredible  
A centerfold miracle, lyrical  
You've saved my life again  
And I want you to know baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
And I keep it in re-pe-pe-peat  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
And I keep it in re-pe-pe-peat  
Cursing me, boy you played through my mind like a symphony  
There's no way to describe what you do to me  
You just do to me, what you do  
And it feels like I've been rescued  
I've been set free, I am hypnotized by your destiny  
You are magical, lyrical, beautiful  
You are…I want you to know baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
And I keep it in re-pe-pe-peat  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
And I keep it in re-pe-pe-peat  
No one compares  
You stand alone, to every record I own  
Music to my heart that's what you are  
A song that plays on and on  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
And I keep it in re-pe-pe-peat  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I, I love you like a love song, baby  
I love you…like a love song…" _When it was over, everypony clopped for her, and she exited off the stage, backing away. Rainbow Dash and Twi jumped on the stage, bursting with energy. They were dressed in shirts, vests, and skirts, each of their outfits stating who they were. Now I realized why they left me earlier. RD grabbed the mike, and shouted, "Hey ponies of Equestria! We're here to get you guys moving off your hooves and jazzing to our tunes!" Twilight then pulled the mike out of the rainbow mare's hooves with magic and explained, "She just said we're here to sing for you guys." DJ PON-3 started playing the suggested tune, and the blue Pegasus and purple unicorn started singing together.

_ "I don't need no one to tell me how to feel the groove,  
I don't need no groove to tell me how to move my hooves  
just go and do what you do, 'cause there's nothin' to prove  
I'm just being me, watch me do me, me, me, me_

_ Light up the floor  
Play me one more  
Let me hear that  
Click clack on the high high heat of this vibe  
Feel the room rock  
Light up the floor  
Just like before  
Let me hear that  
Please stop from the boom box  
Makin' us stop  
feel the room rock  
I'm doing what I want to do  
and I won't stop until I can't move  
I'm just being me, watch me do me, me, me_

_ I'm ready, I'm, I'm ready to go, go, go!_

_Light up the floor  
Just like before  
Let me hear that  
Please stop from the boom box  
Makin' us stop,"_ Rainbow chuckled at this, because it was part of the song, and the two then continued.  
_"I'm doing what I want to do  
and I won't stop until I can't move  
I'm just being me, watch me do me  
watch me do me  
watch me, watch me!"_ The crowd applauded them, when all of a sudden, we heard a high-pitched "Whoo-hoo!" Many looked around in confusion, but in a minute, everyone saw an explosion of confetti, which came from the stage.

It was Pinkie Pie, who had probably stayed behind to make a grand entrance like this. She was wearing a yellow dress, and had a hat placed over her head. DJ PON-3, who was probably in on the prank, started playing music. The pink mare put a hoof and giggled, "Party with Pinkamena, baby!" She then tossed the hat into the crowd and sang:

"_I wanna party_

_I wanna samba_

_I wanna party_

_I wanna samba_

_ I wanna party_

_And live my life_

_I wanna party_

_And fly!_

_I'm gonna fly, fly just like a bird!"_

_ "But you are a bird," _DJ PON-3 said, as it was part of the song.

_ "Oh yeah, you're right_

_So let me fly just like a rocket then." _At these lyrics, two ponies launched Pinkie Pie into the air, catching her when she came back down.

_"Fly so high where I need to come down for oxygen_

_'Cause once we started, filly, ain't no ain't no stopping then_

_ 'Cause I just wanna live my life and party_

_All I want is to be free, and work my body_

_Been around the world and wanna live my life_

_In Eque, eque,_

_Equestria!_

_ I wanna party_

_I wanna samba_

_I wanna party_

_And fly!" _DJ PON-3 stepped in to rap.

_"I'm that samba, samba master, master_

_Master master master_

_ Push all sound from my ghetto blaster, blaster_

_Blaster blaster blaster_

_ You dance fast, but I dance faster, faster_

_Faster faster faster_

_ You're too slow,_

_You need to catch up" _The two mares sang together before Pinkie sang solo again.

_"You can dance,_

_And dance,_

_But I?"_

_ "I wanna party_

_I wanna samba_

_I wanna party_

_I wanna samba_

_ I wanna party_

_And live my life_

_I wanna party,_

_And fly!" _I was so tempted to sing along, or at least try to. It was such a beautiful song, but I was afraid. But for just a moment, all that fear went away. I sang a nonsensical, vocalizing melody that went along with the song.

A few ponies around me took notice of my singing. Ponies surrounding those few took notice when their friends turned. Eventually, everypony turned to me, the one who chose to sing along. Pinkie and DJ PON-3 took notice too, and immediately stopped the song and singing. It was terrifying, everypony staring at me. I was so scared they would judge me.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

I ran, bawling my eyes out. Nopony followed me, and all of them went back to dancing and singing, not paying attention to the mare that just made a foal of herself inside. I decided to sit on the fence outside, alone to think this out.

"What happened in there?" Apparently, I wasn't alone. I saw right next to me, a stallion with a yellow coat and a light blue mane, and his cutie mark….actually, it was too dark to make out. I sighed, and answered him, "I was inside, and they were playing this amazing song, and I just had to sing. So I did, and I ended up making a foal of myself. So now, I'm out here, with a complete stranger, sulking."

"I'm sure it's not that bad." He replied, putting an arm around my neck.

"Everypony ended up staring at me."

"Oh…." Was his only answer, realizing the graveness of the situation. He cleared his throat, and said, "Well, maybe this will cheer you up." Only then did I realize that this stallion was a unicorn, and his horn glowed with blue light. I heard faint music playing. Not from the party inside, but from somewhere else. Lights then appeared, but they weren't just lights.

"Fireflies…" I whispered, realizing what they were. But the yellow mare paid no heed to my response, as he was in a deep trance of magic. The music suddenly got louder, and the unicorn started to sing.

_"You would not believe your eyes,_

_ If ten million fireflies,_

_Lit up the world as I fell asleep_

_'Cause they fill the open air_

_And leave teardrops everywhere_

_You'd think me rude, but I would just stand and stare…" _The unicorn woke up from the trance, his horn still glowing, and I finally asked him, "Are you the one causing all of this?" He nodded, and explained, "I do this because my father writes these amazing songs, and through my unicorn magic, I can find a deeper meaning in them and make amazing illusions."

"Cool," was my only response, trying to take the beauty of it all in. The fireflies started to disappear as the music died down, and my five friends I had made this week came out to cheer me up. Twilight, who was leading them, was first to speak, "That must've been embarrassing, all those ponies staring at you."

"That was the coolest singing I've ever seen anypony do!" Was Rainbow Dash's response.

"That was some mighty fine singin' back there, Sugarcube," agreed Applejack.

"I wonder if singing is, like, a hidden _other_ talent or something," Pinkie Pie chimed in. I could feel the hot blush on my face. I giggled, "Aw, shucks, guys. It was nothing. I didn't mean to steal your spotlight, Pinkie."

"It's okay, DD." She smiled. "In fact, I think you made the song even better!"

"Yeah, like, 20 percent cooler!" RD added. Twilight explained, "We want you to come back to the party with us."

"Oh, no, I couldn't…." I said, them all knowing I'd made a foal of myself. Pinkie Pie shouted, "Oh, come on, DD! We can sing together! I have the perfect song for us to sing." She took out a vinyl record and, looking at the title, my eyes grew wide and I shook my head. "Oh, no, I don't know a lot of Katy Ponny."

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!"

"Nope. Not gonna do it." The mares surrounding all gave their best cute faces, and I finally caved into the cuteness. "Alright, fine! I'll sing, but only if I have some backup."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie agreed. My friends went before me, and I followed them. As I went into the barn and headed for the stage, I heard murmurs of my folly and cruel words, but I got over them as I got on stage. My friends were the background dancers. DJ PON-3 popped the disc on the player, and I belted out in song:

"_There is a place_

_ Where the grass is what's for dinner_

_Charmed, fun, and wild_

_There must be something in the water_

_ Sipping rainbow juice_

_Talking Elements of Harmony_

_Our bronies hang out too_

_'Cause they know we're awesome fillies_

_ You could travel the world,_

_But no one can groove_

_Like the girls with the hooves_

_Once you party with ponies,_

_You'll be seeing rainbooms!_

_ Equestria girls, we're kinda magical,_

_Boots on hooves, bikinis on top,_

_Furry coats, so cute, we'll blow your minds!_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!_

_ Equestria girls, we're pony-fabulous,_

_Fast, fine, fierce, we trot 'til we drop!_

_Cutie marks represent, now put your hooves up!_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!" _Spike then appeared on stage, wearing a pair of shades much like DJ PON-3's. He rapped:

_"Break it down, DJ PON-3_

_These are the ponies I love the most_

_I wish you could all be Equestria girls…" _Everypony cheered, taking back their former statements. At that moment, I'd never felt more proud of myself.

(Author's Note: Songs are from whoever owns them, I mean no form of plagerism by that, and review is recommended for this chapter.)


	5. Return From Canterlot

It had been a couple of days after the party. As it turns out, nopony judged me for my wild behavior and just passed it off as "somepony who had one to many sips of cider". I did a few commissions the day after and was having lunch with my friend, Twilight. I asked, "So, you're saying Spike had a crush on this unicorn named…."

"Rarity," Twilight finished. I giggled at the thought of a dragon and pony being married, but happy thoughts ceased when I thought of the offspring. Twilight explained, "Or friend Rarity set up shop here, and after a while she decided to move to Canterlot. She just wouldn't stop going on and on about how much she wanted to go there!" We laughed a little, than I sighed, "Yeah. She sounds like fun."

Just then, Spike came bursting in, a scroll in his claw. Twilight stood up and asked urgently, "Spike, what is it? Does the princess need our help?"

"No, no. This is _good _news!" The dragon replied. After catching his breath, he continued, "In fact, it's great! This is a letter from Rarity. It reads: _Dearest friends, I'm sorry I haven't contacted you in the past few months, for I have been very busy for an upcoming event: the Masquerade Ball! Unfortunately, I have hit a designer block, and have decided to come back to Ponyville to find inspiration. I always found inspiration there. I also figured that this letter may arrive early, or late, or who to, considering who works on the mail route from Canterlot to Ponyville. Derpy…..But, anyhow, I will be coming soon, so expect my arrival. Your good friend, Rarity._" Twilight gasped when Spike was finished reading. She ran out the door, me and Spike in hot pursuit. Twi stopped when she reached Sugarcube Corners, and yelled, "Hey, Pinkie!" A second story window opened, and the pink mare in question poked her head out. "I have great news!"

"Ooh! You heard that Pound and Pumpkin Cake got their cutie marks?"

"Really? That's gre—wait, that's not what I'm excited about! Rarity's coming back from Canterlot!" In a flash, Pinkie Pie zoomed from the window, and was giggling gleefully in front of us the next second. She shouted, "Oh, boy! Rarity's coming back! Oh, wow! We need to throw a party for her, with balloons, and games, and choco—!" the excited mare then stopped, and looked at the letter Twilight was reading. "So, when's she coming?"

"The letter doesn't say. Rarity was unsure of when the letter would get here, so-!" Suddenly, there were gasps and murmurs coming from a crowd of people. We all looked to see what was happening, and we all saw it: a beautiful carriage adorned with jewels pulled by two stallions. They both stopped, as the door of the carriage was opened with magic. Out stepped a stunning white unicorn with a curled purple mane. I didn't recognize her, but my three friends did instantly.

"Rarity!" They all rushed towards her, Spike being the first to get there. I had never seen so many questions come out of somepony's mouth since Pinkie Pie! Twilight stopped the dragon's rambling, and said, "We just got your letter. I never expected you to come so quick."

"Well, you know the mail service." Rarity replied. The two both giggled at Derpy's expense. Pinkie Pie then cleared her throat and pointed a hoof to me. "This is our new friend. She's pleased to meet you!" The white unicorn made her way and said, "Hello, it's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise," I replied. "My name's Doodledraw, but you can call me DD."

"I take it from your name you're a drawer?"

"Yes, I do a lot of sketches, and I take it from your place of work, you do too."

"Well, they're probably not as good as yours."

"Actually, I draw a few dresses, but their not really good!"

"Let me be the judge of that, darling!" Rarity told her friends, "Meet up with me at the inn. I'll be assessing my new friend here's drawings." The three friends left, and me and the unicorn went to my place. I showed her the many dresses I had designed. Rarity looked at a rather plain-looking one, and I explained, "Yeah, that's a dress I designed for myself if I ever went to the Grand Galloping Gala. Of course, that would never become a reality."

"Oh, no. I could easily make this dress for you, by tomorrow, at most."

"I meant my chances of being at the Gala." We both chuckled at that. I knew I would never get in, but maybe I could get into this Masquerade Ball, if I played my cards right. I tried to get the conversation in the right direction. "But this Masquerade Ball thing, I could easily come, right?"

"Why yes, of course." It took Rarity a few seconds to respond. She seemed mesmerized by the simple, yet elegant design of my dress. She explained, "It's not hosted by the princess, but everypony helps out anyway, and I have two extra tickets. I'm sure you and one of my other friends would love to come…"

"Sure! How about you get started on my dress, and I'll get started on some sketches of your dress."

"Sounds like a fair deal." We shook hoofs, and the white unicorn walked off, carrying my sketch with magic. Once she was out of earshot, I danced around happily like a little filly. I was actually going to a big social event!

The next morning, Rarity gathered us all to see the finished dress at her room at the inn. Twilight walked in first, followed by Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Fluttershy, and me. I could hear their gasps and comments on the dress.

"Wow. It's very impressive."

"It looks spectacular, Rarity! It must've taken you all night to make!"

"This is a very fine dress, Sugarcube."

"That is _definitely _20 percent cooler."

"Wow, Rarity, I've never seen you look so….beautiful…"

"I've never seen anything like it…" I finally walked in, only to see my dress…

In blue! It was an exact copy of my dress design, but instead of pink with touches of gold, like I had envisioned, it was all shades of blue. Trying not to sound displeased, I started, "Rarity, this looks great, but my dress should be-!"

"What do you mean, 'Your dress'?" The white unicorn snapped. She started walking towards me, myself backing away in fear. "This is _my_ dress for the Ball, not _yours!_ _I_ thought of this design, darling, and _you_ are not using it _at all!_" Before I knew it, I was completely out of the room, but Rarity was still in it, and slammed the door in my face. Through the door, I could hear murmurs of surprise and worry for their friend's strange behavior. What was going on?

I ran back to my house to think. I thought, _The Element of Generosity, greedy? Well, she wasn't grey, so no unexpected return of Discord. She wasn't acting like this yesterday, unless… _I gasped in realization. _She's jealous. She wants her spot back as one of the closest to the Element of Magic! Well, if she wants her spot back, she's gonna have to fight for it! _I picked up Rarity's dress design, and crumpled it up. This new design was going to ensure she was the laughing stock of the entire ball.

I went back to Rarity's room at the inn, seeing the door open and the place in a state of…organized chaos. The whole room was a mess, but in such a way that you could feel the inspiration floating around the place. The unicorn was working on a dress, using a mannequin to hold up the design. She looked at me with a bit of disgust, and asked, "What are you doin here?"

"I came to show you the dress I've designed for you." I put down my saddlebags, and pulled out the gaudy dress design. She stared at it in pure shock, and stuttered, "I-um, well, have used something like this before, actually."

"You have?!" I was amazed that someone as fashion-foreword as her would wear such a tacky outfit. I composed myself, and said smoothly, "Well, maybe it's time you got to wear something like it again."

"Let's get started!" She said suddenly, heading to get some fabric. I was completely shocked by how tolerable she was of this fashion disaster, but I would have to keep it together, as well. I dived into a pile of fabric and picked out a random piece, stating, "This should be the main color for our dress."

"It's green."

"You're point being?"

"Well, that's not really on my palette."

"It goes with your eyes."

"My eyes our blue!"

"Whatever." I scoffed. She walked over to me, and told me, "Give me that piece so I can put it away."

"No." She tugged on the fabric with her hooves, but I kept holding on. Man, she was strong! I pulled tighter, but then she started pulling it with her magic. I refused to let go, no matter how much it was hurting. I then heard a tear.

"You, you tore my fabric," Rarity gasped. Her expression of shock turned into one of anger, and she growled, "Oh, it is _on._" She picked up a blue tube of fabric with magic, and I hastily picked up a red tube with my hooves. It was like fighting with foam swords. I jabbed her tube back, trying to look for a weak spot. Unfortunately, the unicorn's magic gave her a wider range to attack from. She then started swiping at my back hooves. I jumped as she swung left, then right. But I tripped, and fell, giving her a chance to attack. I looked for something nearby to hit her with. My eyes fell on a spool of thread. I batted at it, hoping it would hit the unsuspecting mare.

Apparently, it did. The blue tube fell to the floor, and I heard Rarity yell, "Ow! My eye!" I felt so bad. Luckily, I could gat back up on my hooves, and ran to her to make sure everything was okay. I asked hastily, "Rarity? Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't know there was a needle in that sp-!"

My apologizing stopped when I felt a swift blow to my face. The unicorn was faking, and gave me a swift blow to the chest. She laughed, "Ha! Take that! I never thought-!" She stopped when she realized I was sobbing. She had hit me, _hard. _Never before had I felt pain like that. I choked on my tears as I replied, "You-you win. You can be….part of the group….I'll just l-leave…"

"Whatever are you talking about?"

"This feud was all about you wanting to replace me, right?"

"Actually, no." I looked up, and stared. I asked, confused, "So what is this about then?"

"Well, I thought _you_ wanted to replace _me_. As one of the Elements." I stifled a laugh, which then came out as a scoff. "Please! Like I'd want the responsibility of an Element Bearer."

"I'm sorry for being so brash about that dress."

"And I'm sorry for getting so aggressive." We then embraced in an apology hug. I then asked, "So, can we do this dress-making thing the right way?"

"I wouldn't do it any other way," The unicorn giggled. I then took out the old, crumpled dress design, and explained, "This is was the original design I had for you." Rarity looked at it in awe, and commented, "It's simply…breathtaking…." After a long day of designing our Masquerade Ball dresses, I headed home to write another letter to my parents. It read:

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ It's probably been a while since I sent a letter to you guys, but don't worry. I was helping a friend. Today, I learned that we shouldn't worry about new friends replacing old friends. It's important to treat everypony as they would want to be treated, especially new friends._

_ I also learned we shouldn't jump to conclusions about one pony's thoughts or wants. Sometimes, they're jumping to conclusions about you too. You should reassure them that you wouldn't hurt them and that they should trust you as a friend. Also, I'm going to this really fancy ball in Canterlot this Friday. Apparently, my friend has relations._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Doodledraw_

Both Rarity and I decided to unveil the dresses tomorrow. I climbed into my loft bed, and quickly fell asleep.


	6. The Real Best Night Ever

"Are we ready to go on?" I asked Rarity as I looked through the curtain to the small stage that the white unicorn had hastily set up in her room. The day after we were done our dresses, Rarity decided to show them off to our friends in a dramatic fashion. The unicorn, seeing that all of our friends were here, answered, "Yes." The unicorn used her magic to add some nice lighting affects to the show, and opened the curtain. We strutted down what little runway we had, both prepared to introduce each other's dresses.

"Doodledraw's dress, inspired by my last Gala dress," Rarity explained, "is made from light pink fabric to complement her hot pink coat. It has gold-and-magenta accents, and a mask derived from her cutie mark." I then explained my friend's dress to the small crowd. "Rarity's dress, inspired by simple elegance, is more cloak-like in appearance. The accessories include a blue earring, blue shoes for her front hooves, and a light blue crown made from the finest sapphires. The mask she will wear is derived from the design on the back of her cloak."

"These dresses, we will wear for the Masquerade Ball in Canterlot!" We said in unison. The ponies began to clop for us, Spike cheering the loudest. Rarity then cleared her throat to announce, "We'd also like to say that I have one extra ticket to the ball, and would be delighted to have one of you join us at this event."

The room then became deathly silent. The nervous unicorn turned the lights back on. I then realized why everyone was so quiet. The Grand Galloping Gala. The event was very formal, and though everypony could laugh about it in the end, Rarity and her friends had caused quite a bit of chaos. But there was one who didn't become too flustered that night.

"I'd like to join you," Twilight Sparkle spoke up. She then explained, "Sure, we caused a bit of an uproar at the Gala, but I think we've learned from that. I was probably the most controlled pony during these events. It's also been a while since I've been to Canterlot. I'd think I'd go to see if anything's changed." Once it was settled, everypony except me and Rarity left the room.

Now, it was time for more designing. The unicorn and I started by making space to work on ideas. I began to say, "Alright, we need a dress design that nopony'll see coming. And it should have sparkles, though not as man-!"

"I have some stones in the back that'll just do the trick." Rarity interrupted. She went into her closet, dug around in a few boxes, and found a small crimson chest. She went on, "I have a gem-share with one of Pinkie's sisters, since she lives on a rock farm. During a blue moon, she found these and insisted I use them to make something. They're called…" she paused as she opened the box, "moon pearls."

I gasped when she opened it. Never before had I seen such beautiful gems. The pearls were perfect spheres, as expected, but they had an unearthly, yet magnificent, light blue shine to them that shouted that they were meant for Twilight's dress. We then began to shout out ideas, scribbling them down as we went.

"There should be pearls as fringe on the edge of her skirt and sleeves…"

"Oh, no, darling! If we are going to put sleeves on the dress, I think they shouldn't have pearls. I think the neckline should have some, the smaller ones will do…"

"And let's add some on the waist, shall we?"

"And what should we do for the back of the skirt? I don't think Twilight would like it plain."

"Well, I was thinking that we should put something that looks like Princess Luna's cutie mark, since these are Moon Pearls."

"Another splendid idea!" After our little thought session was over, we went straight to work. I was in charge of cutting fabric and such, while Rarity put herself in charge of putting it all together. I couldn't complain, because she probably had a better eye for detail than me. We picked out mostly blues and purples for the dress, something that would complement Twi's coat.

We worked not too late as we did last night, and before I knew it, the purple unicorn was looking at the Moon dress in awe. The white unicorn, a bit nervous about what her friend would think, asked, "Well? Is it nice?"

"Rarity, I think this may be your finest dress for me yet," she replied. The nervous unicorn sighed with relief. The next few days went by fast. Then came the day just before the Masquerade Ball. We were discussing things, like what Rarity had been doing since Twilight had last seen her. Just then, Pinkie came in, a tray of cupcakes we had ordered and a note on the plate as well. The pink pony put the tray down, and said, "Here you go! Four chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting!"

"Pinkie, what's this note on the plate?" Twilight asked, taking notice of it before everyone else.

"Hmm, I don't know. It was addressed to you, though it was also addressed to Sugarcube Corners."

"Strange." The purple unicorn opened the note with her magic, and then began to read it aloud. "_Dear Twilight, you probably do not know who I am. That's good, because I want my identity to remain a secret. I will be attending the Masquerade Ball because my mother will be working at the party. I have heard that you are attending as well, and intend to make an acquaintance with you when we meet. With love, your secret admirer."_

"'Secret admirer'?" Rarity echoed. "I wonder who that could be…"

"I don't know, Rarity. There aren't many stallions around here…"

"And some of them are less than desirable," I commented, looking at two younger unicorns sitting at another table, one orange and one blue. The three mares nodded in agreement. That night, I dreamt that Twilight would meet the stallion of her dreams, and they would stare at the full moon, for it was bigger and brighter that night.

Then came the night of the Ball. A couple of Rarity's friends here had promised to draw the carriage for us, which was waiting out front for us to ride in. Rarity used her magic to put on her mask, a light blue sparkled mask with jagged edges on the side. The white unicorn then put mine on for me, a mask that resembled pencils, like the one on my cutie mark. Twilight, who was changing in a portable dressing room Rarity had built, asked, "Are we ready to leave yet?"

"Just about, Twilight. The carriage is waiting for us outsiiii…." Rarity drifted off upon seeing the purple unicorn in her dress. When the white unicorn could find the words she was at a loss for, she exclaimed, "Darling, you look simply stunning!"

"Do you really think I look that good?" Twi questioned, blushing. I silently moved a mirror in front of her, and her eyes widened upon seeing her reflection. "Wow, I really _do_ look good!"

"So let's show all of Canterlot how good you look!" I replied, holding the door open for the two unicorns. We then got in the carriage, headed for Canterlot. When we got there, I noticed the streets were lit up with hung lanterns. Ponies were about the streets, some dancing, others chatting, and others were at banquet tables. Rarity explained, "This party has been set up all over Canterlot. Those speakers up there," she pointed to one she noticed out of the window, "are put up so DJ PON-3 can blast her sounds throughout the city."

"Hey, didn't that secret admirer say his mom was working at the party?" I asked. Twilight nodded, taking the letter out of the purse she had put it in. The purple unicorn then figured, "If that is who he's talking about, then we can ask Mrs. PON-3 if she has any children!"

"I'll do that. You two can look around for any stallion that seems…interested." The carriage then stopped. We all hopped out, and began to search. The two headed to one of the banquet tables, and I went to find DJ PON-3. I went where I heard the music being louder, meaning a stronger signal coming from the turn table. I finally found her in the middle of a crowded street. It was crowded with people who were waltzing to classical music.

Just as I was about to approach the disc jockey, I heard a "Psst" come from a bunch of bushes near me. I looked at it, and saw a hoof come out of them. I came towards it and somepony in a tacky blue suit dragged me in. I gasped as I realized who it was.

"Fire Twilight?" He looked at me and nodded. "What are you doing here?" He answered, "That's my mom. I'm the secret admirer."

"Wait, I thought you lived with your dad in Ponyville."

"My parents are divorced, if you remember." In those few days before the Ball, I'd met out of him outside of the party and we had a while to chat. In those few hours, I learned that he lived with his dad, who was OwlCity, this awesome pony singer who I believe tops SapphireShores any day. His parents were divorced, and he spent the weekends with his mom. I said to him, "But I had no idea your mom was DJ PON-3!"

"Why did Twilight send you?"

"I sent myself! I didn't think you'd be so close to your mom. Literally!"

"Well, I am, and I need you to tell Twilight I'm here, now." He then pushed me out of the bushes. I had to admit, his plan would work well. I'd tell Twi that he was in love with her, she'd fall in love with him for his magical abilities, and they would presumably live happily ever after. There was just one minor flaw to this:

_I was in love with him. _I know we had only met a few times, but there was something about his love for music that just turned me on. My mind was playing he loves me, he loves me not, and then I bumped into the purple unicorn. I exclaimed, "Twilight! I, um, have something to tell you."

"I have something to say too."

"Good! I think, um, you should go first."

"Okay! Well, I think I should start by saying that I have a crush on somepony, too. I met him, and I think you've met him as well."

"That's good, I guess. So, what's his name?"

"Well, I don't know—Oooh! There he is!" She pointed a hoof towards the yellow stallion in the tacky blue suit I had just spoken with. Twilight told me, "You have to go speak with him. Tell him I think he's special and I've seen what he can do with his horn. If you need me, I'll be with Rarity, a bit west of here." And with that, she walked off. This was getting even more nerve-wracking for me. First, Fire loves Twi, and now, Twi loves Fire back. I'd never let a romance like this be interrupted, but I was crushing on Fire Dawn too!

I sighed, and told myself, "Okay, DD, you have to admit you've been in worse. You and Fire don't really have that much in common except your love of singing. Fire and Twi are two very talented unicorns, and they deserve to be together. After all, you've never heard somepony like Twilight fall for someone before, right?" After I was done convincing myself I should do this, I walked towards Fire Twilight, ready to tell him that Twilight loved him back.

But my stomach wasn't. It hurt like it had a dagger stuck in it. Maybe I could tell him a different way that would make me less nervous. I started to move towards Fire Twilight, and tapped on his shoulder. He turned around, and upon seeing me, asked, "So, did you tell Twilight that I like her?"

"No. I was too nervous, but I do know she said she'll be meeting you at Canterlot Cliff in about 15 minutes." Great. I lied to him to make him happy.

"Great! I can't wait to see her!" The unicorn ran to the famous cliff, and I headed through town to find the other unicorn. It didn't take long for me to find her talking with Rarity. I was able to get her out of the conversation, and she immediately asked, "So, does he like me, or at least interested?"

"He is, but he wants to meet you in person at the Canterlot Cliff in 10." Again, more lies.

"Great! I can't wait to see him!" The other unicorn ran to the cliff, and I grabbed Rarity and said, "We're gonna make sure they end up together."

"Doodledraw, what are you talking about?" I ran, and she hurried to catch up. I explained on the way, "Twilight is in love with this guy, Fire Twilight, and he's the secret admirer. I was nervous to tell Twi because I like him too, but then I realized we don't have that much in common, so I decided to do what was best, but I couldn't get myself to do it, so I told Twi that Fire Twilight that he wants her to meet him at Canterlot Cliff and vice versa."

"You _lied?_"

"It's all for the good of romance." We stopped at a bunch of bushes right next to the famous Canterlot Cliff. "Now shh!" We both ducked down as Fire Twilight and Twi approached each other. The purple unicorn walked up to the yellow one and asked, "So, you're interested in me?"

"Of course. I am the one who sent you the secret admirer letter."

"You did?"

"Mmmhmm. I've always been interested in magical ability."

"Well, I've seen what you can do. How…do you do that anyway?"

"It usually stems from my dad's songs. Once I hear one, or sing one myself, my magic activates, and it's able to create amazing effects and illusions."

"Fascinating." The couple then began to look at the moon. "Amazing isn't it? The moon seems so much more beautiful ever since Luna came back."

_Looks like it all worked out…. _I thought. Unfortunately, I thought out loud. The couple heard me, and Twilight asked, "What was that?"

"It was me, guys." I answered, coming out of the bushes. "And Rarity's here, too." I then grabbed the white unicorn out of the bushes. I then explained, "I set this thing up. I was afraid to tell you guys you had crushes on each other because…I was crushing on you, Fire."

"WHAT?!" Fire Twilight shouted. I continued, "But then I realized we don't have much in common, and it wouldn't work out. Now, go on, continue your romantic moment." At that, the couple turned to face the moon again. Rarity then walked away and told me, "Let's head back to the party. We don't want something like this to happen again."

"You know," I replied, "I think this turned out to be the _real _best night ever."


	7. Bringing Cutie Back

It had been a couple of days since the Masquerade Ball. Rarity was being helped by her sister to load up the carriage back to Canterlot, Twilight was busy catching up on her studies, Applejack and her family were preparing for Cider Season, Fluttershy was really busy with her animals, and Rainbow Dash needed to prepare the clouds for a rainstorm tomorrow.

_Looks like it was just me and Pinkie Pie_, I thought. Not that there's anything wrong with her. It's just that I live somewhat far away from Sugarcube Corner. It'd be a hassle to get there, unless….

"Delivery!" Some mail pony shouted from outside. I opened the door to see an orange Pegasus with orchid hair, with a box in her hooves. She was a bit younger than me, probably a teenager. She explained "This is for you. More art supplies, I presume."

"You're not Derpy," was my only response. She sighed, "Yeah, all the Pegasus that were free were called in to help with the storm. I'm the delivery pony when Derpy's absent."

"Wait…if all free pegasi were called in….why are you still here?"

"I'm…handicapped." She opened up her wings. "These things couldn't take me off the ground if they tried." The orange mare started to leave when I noticed she had a scooter. I exclaimed, "Wait! Um….how much would I have to pay to get a lift on your scooter to Sugarcube Corners." The Pegasus did the math in her head before answering, "3 bits." I paid the teen and she started to rev the scooter's small engine. I hopped on, and we started our slow peddling way to the bake shop.

It was silence as we went through the main part of town. Then I noticed she had her scooter as her cutie mark. I asked, "Hey, about your mark-!"

"Yeah, I know," she groaned. "I don't have one. It's hard enough being ridiculed for not being able to use your wings by your peers, but it's even tougher being the only blank flank at school."

"Didn't anypony else at your school not have cutie marks?"

"Yes, actually. We called ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and me." That one name struck a chord in my mind. I asked, "Isn't Sweetie Belle-!"

"One of the most talented teenage singers around? Yeah, I've heard that. She didn't even know it when we were fillies! But she's _way _better than I ever was. It started a couple of years ago. It was time for the talent show, but we decided we should do separate acts this time. I did tricks on my scooter, Applebloom did some rope tricks her sister taught her, and Sweetie Belle got the nerve to sing in public. She heard the cheers of the crowd, and I immediately noticed what the expression on her face said: 'Hey, I'm good.' The award for best singing performance went to Sweetie Belle, and that's how she got her cutie mark."

"So, how did your other friend get hers?"

"Applebloom was a good carpenter. Working with tools came natural to her hooves. Too bad she didn't realize it until crisis came. A big storm came in, and their main barn's roof fell in; really bad. So, Applebloom, with the help of her older brother, Big Macintosh, fixed up the place. But it turns out it was mostly Applebloom. She earned her cutie mark through hard work and honest effort, just like her other relatives." She laughed. "I can't believe we were so oblivious to our talents as kids. They were staring us in the face, and we didn't even look."

"Sounds like you have the same problem," I said, pointing down to her flank. She stopped the scooter, looked at where I was pointing, and gasped, "My cutie mark! It's finally here!"

"It was there all along. You just deluded yourself so much because you thought you'd never get it. When did you think you got it, anyway?"

"Well, I guess it's when I realized that I'd have this scooter for the rest of my life. Oh, look! We're here!" The orange Pegasus pointed a hoof to the bake shop, Sugarcube Corner. I asked, "Do you want to stop inside?"

"Actually, I have a better idea." The teen started up her scooter once again, and handed me a helmet. "Hold on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride." She made the scooter go faster than I ever thought something with such a small motor could go. I could tell that we'd have to walk the way back. She then stopped when we got to a nice tree house. "Here we are, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hideout."

"It's very nice to see somepony's kept it in shape after you and your friends split up."

"Thank you." She then walked into the clubhouse, and I followed suit. There were many pieces of paper scattered around, some had random doodles, some jotted down ideas, and some had drawings of Rainbow Dash. I said, "You must've spent a lot of time here."

"I did, and still do. I thought myself as a blank flank all of my life, and never thought anymore than that. I…and my friends had a falling out about a year ago. We met up here one last time, and Applebloom, who was sort of always our leader, explained, 'We can't have this group forever. I've already got my cutie mark.'

"'Me too,' Sweetie Belle cut in. 'and I've already got somepony who's willing to be my agent once I hit it big.' I asked, 'Well, what about me? I still don't have one.' Sweetie replied, 'Don't worry, you'll find yours soon enough.' I retorted, 'And what if I don't? What if I'm destined to be a blank flank….for the rest of my life?'

"'Well, then….I guess it's the end of the Cutie Mark Crusaders,' our valiant leader answered. The other two left, but I stayed behind. There was no way I was going to give up on my friends just because I didn't have a cutie mark, but it happened anyway. I went to my scooter that night as I returned home, and sighed, 'Looks like it's just you and me.'"

"Wow. Have you and your friends made up since then?"

"No. Though that wasn't our worst or loudest fight, it spoke volumes to all of us." I looked around, seeing a crudely drawn map of Ponyville on the wall, and a lyrics sheet. The sheet, of course, caught my interest. I pointed to it, and asked, "What's this?"

"This was sort of our theme song."

"Can-can I sing it?"

"Sure, I guess," the teen mare answered. I looked at the faded lyrics, mad out what I could, and sang:

"_Look, here are three little ponies_

_Ready to sing for this crowd_

_Listen up, 'cause here's our story_

_I'm gonna sing it very loud…_"

"_When you're a younger pony_

_And your flank is very bare_

_Feels like the sun will never come_

_When your cutie mark's not there…_" Another voice joined in. The orange mare looked out the window to see one of her friends, and exclaimed, "Applebloom!" The yellow teenage pony explained, "Me and Sweetie Belle saw you come over here, and realize it was so stupid to disband over such a little fight. We're sorry." A white unicorn came out from the shadows, since the sun was starting to set, and joined in with the next verse.

"_So the three of us will fight the fight_

_There is nothing that we fear_

_We'll have to figure out what we'll do next_

_Till our cutie marks are here…_" The two on the ground came into the treehouse and embraced in a warm hug. They started to talk about things, and I was left in the corner. The orange Pegasus noticed me, and asked, "So, how'd you get your cutie mark?"

"I believe that's a story best saved for another time…" I picked up a pencil and piece of paper and began to write a letter to my parents. It read:

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ Today, I learned that we all have a purpose on this place we call Equestria. Whether it's to be hard workers, strong singers, humble messengers, or just draw what we feel in our hearts every day. We're all meant to do something, but it's not the marks on our flanks that show it. It's in the thoughts, feeling, and actions we make everyday that do._

_ Your Loving Daughter,_

_ Doodledraw_

With that, I gently placed down my pencil, and noticed the three teen mares were asleep. I sang to them, as soft as a lullaby:

"_We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders_

_On a quest to find out who we are_

_And we will never stop the journey_

_Not until we have our cutie marks…_"


	8. Across Dream Valley- Part One

_ (Disclaimer: This episode of New Friends Forever will not be seen from Doodledraw's perspective, and instead will be viewed from a third person. Also, do not start a flame war about the previous generations of MLP, for without them, we would not have this one. Also, I do not own any of this. All rights go to Lauren Faust, Hasbro, and BBC.)_

Twilight Sparkle and Doodledraw were sitting in the park, chatting about things. Suddenly, an idea sparked in the pink earth pony's mind as she asked, "Hey, Twilight? Have you ever thought about the theory of….different universes?"

"Different universes?" the unicorn asked back. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean…..have you ever read the Chronicles of Barnia?"

"Yes! It was my favorite book series as a child."

"Haven't you ever thought of adventuring to worlds like that as possible?"

"DD, I know that ponies can travel through time, but there is no way that-!" Suddenly, the two mares were whisked off their hooves by a fast brown blur that grabbed them by their hooves.

"WHOA!" The two shouted as they were thrown into a blue box. The brown blur that'd thrown them in said in a British accent, "Quickly, Ditzy Doo, pull that lever over there!"

"Uh, yeah, we're not Ditzy," Twilight pointed out. The brown stallion told us again, "Well, pull the lever!"

"Already on it!" DD stated, pulling the mentioned lever. The pink earth pony then asked, "So, what's your name, sir?"

"Oh, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor of what?" asked the purple unicorn, suspicious.

"Really, it's just the Doctor."

"So why are we in this situation, Doctor?"

"Well, I was expecting Ditzy to be at the park, but she must've forgotten, or gotten lost, or-!"

"Wow! This place is smaller on the outside!" The hot pink pony exclaimed, taking notice of her surroundings. The purple unicorn looked around, and realized that the small blue box was, and they were in something that can only be described as a boiler room. "You really know how to maximize space, Doctor."

"Yes, yes I do." he chuckled, getting used to the subversions to a usual person's regular reaction to the TARDIS. He explained, in a nonchalant manner, "This blue box sends me through time and space. Right at this moment, we are going to another dimension, where I have gotten….a distress call of sorts."

"What kind of distress call?"

"Well, it wasn't much of a 'call' as it was a letter." The brown stallion pulled out a letter and Twilight grabbed it and began to read aloud: "_Dear Sir or Madam, we cordially invite you to the return of our Queen. We hope you bring gifts of your talent, and invite all of your friends. Sincerely, the Princess._" The Doctor explained, "I figured since you've never been run by a queen, and more of a dual monarchy, that this letter came from another world, and somehow ended up in my hands—er, hooves."

Doodledraw, who was going along with this story so far, nodded in understanding. Twilight, however, who was a mare of facts and data, said to the Doctor, "You're a loon!"

"No, I'm a pony," was his response. He then pulled another lever, which opened up the TARDIS' doors to the surrounding area. The two mares walked out first, the Doctor following behind. The hot pink pony gasped, "Whoa…" at the first sights of this strange, new world….

That looked exactly like the park in their original one. The purple unicorn, quite unimpressed, grumbled, "Okay, now this is stupid. We're in the same place we were befor-!"

"Look!" The pink earth pony grabbed her friend as she pointed to two ponies coming up the road. All three of them ducked down to spy on the approaching earth ponies. One was a light blue earth pony, with rainbow-colored streaks in her hair, and a mane so beautifully styled, it would make Rarity jealous. The other was a pale pink earth pony with a blonde and purple mane that was flowing down to the ground, but luckily, she had bows and ribbons that stopped the mane from touching the dirt roads.

"Alright, Fluttershy," the blue one explained, "I only came out here to appreciate the beauty of nature…and get some new fashion ideas from it."

"Hey, Rainbow Dash," The pale pink one began to ask, "Can I get a picture of you right next to the fountain?" The blue one did as she was told, and stood in front of the fountain, only to exclaim in disgust as her hoof landed in something less than desirable. "Ew! I stepped in mud!"

"That's okay. I have the zoom lens on so it only gets your face."

"Yes, but I've stepped in the most deplorable substance I can think of! It's _so gross!_" She whined. The two who were spying thought that sounded awfully familiar. "Fluttershy" calmed her friend down by saying, "It's all right. We'll go home and get that cleaned off. Besides, I don't need those shots until Friday." The pale pink pony picked up her friends dirty hoof, and put it in the fountain. "Rainbow Dash", after getting over the trauma, said, "Thank you, Fluttershy. You really are a good friend." The two then walked off further into the park.

"Okay, what was that about?" Twilight asked herself, finally getting out of the bushes. The Doctor then came out, Doodledraw following. The brown stallion thought out loud, "Well, what do you know. This world seems to be a parallel to yours in that all the same ponies exist at the same moments in time, although this place's history seems to be different."

"Which explains why Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are earth ponies," the hot pink mare cut in. "There seems to be a complete lack of Pegasus here, because the clouds seem to be moving on there own."

"Wait, wait. How are you two suddenly experts on this situation?" The purple unicorn cut in.

"I've been in this kind of situation before," the Doctor explained.

"I just kind of figured it out," Doodledraw said in her defense. "I mean, there aren't any ponies in the EverfreeForest, save Zecora, so I know that the clouds move on their own in that area because of that." Twi's jaw hit the ground with shock by the two earth ponies' perfect alibis. Okay, she was a little suspicious of this doctor fellow, but was stunned by DD's perfect explanation for why this world was different. The hot pink pony then had another brilliant idea. "Hey, Twilight. I bet if there are alternate versions of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, there's an alternate version of you, too!"

"Hold on, DD," Twilight told her friend. "You're actually going to believe that we were transported to some alternate world, where everypony's the same, but different, and that we were all transported here by a crazy stallion with a blue box?!"

"Unless you have a better explanation, that's the story, and I'm sticking to it." The two earth ponies went into town to search for this alternate Twilight, while the Twilight of this dimension followed them. As they went into town, the two passed an apple stand, and the seller looked familiar.

"Applejack!" Twi exclaimed, and ran over to the familiar mare. DD and the Doctor only stared at the familiar, yet different, country mare. She still had blonde hair, although it was very bouncy, and she wore no hat, but had a blue bow on her tail. Her coat was still orange, but her cutie mark now had an extra apple. The purple unicorn ignored all of this as she said, "Look, AJ, I need your help with something."

"It can wait, stranger," The one supposedly named Applejack explained.

"Stranger? I'm no stranger. And doesn't Granny Smith usually run the apple cart?"

"I don't have a granny. She died off years ago." The unicorn gasped, "When….when did that happen?"

"I'm a lot older than most of the ponies in town. Heck, I even remember when Princess Twilight was crowned."

"Princess Twilight? But I'm-!"

"—New in town," Doodledraw butted in to explain. "And me and my friend…er, Glimmer Glam, would love to know where this Princess' castle is located."

"Sure," the orange mare replied, "It's right over—!" as she was pointing to the direction of the aforementioned castle, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. "-there." Twilight, not even bothering to help the fallen mare, asked, "What happened?"

"I've always had three left hooves." The Doctor quietly chuckled at the pony's terminology. DD then helped the fallen earth pony up, who said, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Glimmer Glam. Maybe you can help me at the farm when you're not busy." The trio of travelers hurried to the castle as Applejack-2 waved good-bye. The unicorn then asked her earth pony friend once they were out of earshot, "What was with the fake name?"

"I figured since you're the princess in this dimension, I didn't want everypony making a big deal about you," the hot pink pony answered.

"We're not in another dimension. This is obviously some crazy dream!"

"Oh, really? If it were a crazy dream, could I be able to do this?" The pink earth pony lightly hit her friend on the forearm. She laughed, "Yes, because you doing that in real life would be _crazy!_"

"Here we are," The Doctor announced, showing a hoof to the castle in front of them. "Princess Twilight's castle." The two earth ponies stopped their bickering to look at the sickingly-sweet and simple exterior of the castle. The three all took notice that two dragons were guarding the drawbridge at the front entrance. The Doctor whispered, let me handle this…" and then greeted the guards, "Hello, good sirs! We would like a meeting with the princess, if that's-!"

"No trespassers," the dragons said in unison. The one on the left said, "Yeah, we can't let you in unless the Princess says so…"

"And even then, you'd need an invitation from the princess to get in." The other one growled in a deeper tone than the first. The stallion said smoothly, "Well, then what does this look like?" He pulled out his letter from the princess, and immediately, the two guards assessed it. Fortunately for them, the dragons couldn't read, and could only make out the princess' name.

"Access granted," the two said in unison again, letting the trio through and into the castle. The trio walked straight into the throne room, where they laid their eyes on a light pink unicorn that had a purple mane with white streaks in it, which was a clear sign she was getting old. She wore a dress with a hot pink front and a long sweeping back that had a star in the middle of it.

"Mom?!" Twilight exclaimed. Her friend put a hoof over her mouth to protect from any more sudden out bursts, and she told the Doctor, "Listen, can you explain to the Princess why we're here, Doctor?" The stallion did so, and Doodledraw took the unicorn out into the hallway, quick to shout to her, "What were you thinking?!" She took her hoof off the purple mare's mouth to hear what she had to say, which was, "She looks like my mom. And from what AJ said earlier, she's probably the same age as her."

"Alright, now that we've got that covered up…" The two mares went back in, their dignity back in tact. DD explained to the Princess, "I don't know if my friend here has mentioned, but we're moving in here from the country, and we were wondering what the history of this place is."

"He has mentioned," Princess Twi stated, and went onto explain, "The land of DreamValley was founded many years ago, and many creatures flocked here. The creatures that we had found peace with when I was a young mare soon became violent in nature. I wished to become ruler of this great land…and I did. I led a mighty army, where many of those who I had close relationships with…died. But, we eventually drove out _all _of the beasts that once plagued our land. Now, we have the happy town of Ponyville, capital of the land known as DreamValley."

"DreamValley? No, it's Eque-!" Once again, somepony put a hoof over Twilight's mouth. This time, it was the Doctor.

"What Glimmer Glam means is that we come from a place far, far away from here called Equestria," the stallion told the light pink princess. Twilight took the brown stallion's hoof off her mouth and asked, "So, have you found the Elements of Harmony?"

"What are these 'Elements' you speak of?"

"You know: Honesty, Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity, Magic, also known as friendship-!"

"And what is this 'friendship'?" The trio, even the Doctor, gasped when she asked that. DD questioned her smartness by saying, "You don't know what friendship is?" The princess just shook her head in reply. "Well, it's like having someone who's close to you. Who knows just about everything about you and you share everything with. Please tell me you've known somepony like that."

"I have," Princess Twilight actually made some response, "but they all passed away in the war…." Tears started to fill her eyes as she said, "I would like you all to leave. Thank you for your time." The Doctor quietly led them out, knowing all too well to do as you're told by a monarch the first time.

The three ponies decided to break for lunch, where they found out that Pinkie Pie owned the local café. _Well, at least Pinkie's the same in _this _dimension, _Doodledraw thought to herself. Twilight explained to the Doctor, "Look, you need to get us home. I don't care if you are a complete _nut job! I want to GO HOME!_" Her sudden outburst had everypony's eyes in the café on her. The three stood completely still until the ponies turned back to their other conversations. Afterwards, the Doctor said, "Look, the TARDIS, my blue box, sent me here, because I'm positive something will happen at this coming of the Queen event I _somehow _got an invitation to."

"Well, I don't care what happens!" the unicorn said angrily. "I'm not part of this story, and I want to get home."

"There are no accidents in the universe," DD cut in, trying to sound philosophical. The brown stallion nodded in agreement with this. The purple mare, not calmed at all by her friend's words, pointed to the Doctor as she replied, "Well, apparently, he did. So, whoever-the-heck-you-are, get me and my friend home!"

"Alright! Alright! Let me just reconfigure the TARDIS, and you two can go back to your normal lives," the Doctor finally agreed. As the trio left the bake shop, Doodledraw asked her friend, "Aren't you used to these situations by now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the Elements have stood up to the worst of monsters: you've defeated hydras, Cerberus, Nightmare Moon; even Discord, for Pete's sake!"

"Well, that last one was a tough one, but-!"

"Look, if the Doctor says something's going to happen when this queen comes back, then I suggest you be a real Element and save the day." The hot pink pony started to walk away when her friend earnestly replied, "I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if this is an alternate dimension, isn't it up to the Elements of this dimension to save the day, and us not to interfere?"

"But the Twilight of this dimension has little knowledge of what friendship is and means! That means that this Twilight," she pointed to the purple unicorn, "is going to have to show some initiative."

"But wouldn't that-!"

"Here we are: back at the TARDIS," announced the brown stallion. He went in first, the two mares deciding to stay back. From outside, they could hear the Doctor complaining on how "this won't work," and that "this'll never do." Finally, the pink mare stuck her head inside the TARDIS doors and asked, "What's the problem?"

"Well, the problem is this: the TARDIS refuses to move."

"What?!" The unicorn mare shouted, starting to yell at the stallion. "You mean we're stuck here with no means of getting out, and we're going to be stuck here conditionally until you get this blue hunk of junk fixed?!"

"Pretty much," The Doctor responded, "and _do not _call the TARDIS a hunk of junk. It got you here, didn't it?" Twilight let out a frustrated, "ARGH!" snatched the letter from the Doctor, and headed out. The pink earth pony asked the brown stallion, "Can I have a look at that?"

Twilight headed into the Castle, where a crowd had gathered for the arrival of this queen. The purple unicorn actually noticed somepony familiar in the crowd of strangers. She saw Pinkie Pie (Well, the one of this dimension) and headed for her. The unicorn nudged the earth pony, who turned around and greeted her, "Hello."

"Hi, Pinkie Pie," Twi greeted back. "Look, I'm sorry for causing a scene at your café this afternoon."

"It's okay. I could see you were really frustrated with that stallion. So, what's your name?"

"It's Twi—er, Glimmer Glam," the unicorn corrected herself, remembering what DD said before.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. Where are you from? I've never seen you around Ponyville."

"We're just passing through town. We don't know how long it'll be staying. I've actually never heard of this event. Tell me, why is your queen coming back?"

"It's derived from this long legend that says that DreamValley was once ruled by a magnificent queen called 'Star Mane.' She raised the sun and moon, and was very powerful. She made sure that everypony lived in peace and harmony, until the power became too much for her. She said she had to leave the valley and return to the heavens above, for that was where she came from."

"Wow. That almost sounds like the tale of Nightm—!"

"Oh, look! The ceremony's starting!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as the curtains opened to reveal Princess Twilight in a dark blue dress. The princess announced, "Tonight marks the arrival of Queen Estrellena. Once the moon and sun line up, creating a lunar eclipse, it will signal the arrival of the queen." Ponies cheered as the purple unicorn thought, _That's funny. That almost sounds like how Nightmare Moon came back. _

The silence returned as everypony focused their attention to a stained glass behind the princess. A circle in the middle of it, depicting an eclipse, was coenciding with the actual eclipse in the sky. The two lined up perfectly, and it made a horrible black shadow fill the spot where the queen should've been. The shadows formed into a monsterous being, one that towered over everypony in the room, and shocked the princess on the stage.

It was an allicorn, almost as tall as Princess Celestia. She was jet black, and her hair was as red as blood. The armor she wore was orangish-gold, and was a sign of her power. The mysterious mare said, "Oh, it's been so long since I've seen another pony. And it's been _so long_ since I've seen _you_, darling." Her eyes focused on Princess Twilight.

"I-I don't think I've ever met you," The princess said, still shocked.

"You should remember how you defeated me with your light when you were just a teenager, and look at you now: all grown up, and nowhere to run." The unicorn princess stared into the allicorn's eyes, and realized that only one being could be filled with that much hate in thier eyes. "You-you're Tirek."

"Yes, you remember now. I'm the only reason your queen left. I started as a little piece of darkness in her heart, and before long, she left to make sure I wouldn't hurt you. But now, the eclipse has drawn me power; enough power to come back, and bring back the everlasting night." The ponies all noticed from the stained glass that outside, it had become suprisingly dark. All of these events caused Twilight to flash back, and even moreso as Tirek chuckled, "Remember this day as your last, little ponies, for from this moment forth...

The night...

_Will last..._

_FOREVER!_" As a cackle of maniacal laughter and dramatic thunder filled the main room of the castle, Twilight knew she had to gather the Elements of Harmony in this world.


	9. Across Dream Valley- Part Two

_ (Disclaimer: This episode of New Friends Forever will not be seen from Doodledraw's perspective, and instead will be viewed from a third person. Also, do not start a flame war about the previous generations of MLP, for without them, we would not have this one. Also, I do not own any of this. All rights go to Lauren Faust, Hasbro, and BBC.)_

"So let me get this straight," Doodledraw explained back to the Doctor what he had just told her while working on some of the wires. "You're a time-traveling, dimensional- hopping pony?"

"Yes," was the stallion's reply.

"But you didn't used to be a pony, you used to be something called a ha-a hyu…" The hot pink pony tried to pronounce the word she had heard, but couldn't. The Doctor corrected her, "A human. Actually, I'm not human at all, I just look human, I'm actually from the planet-!"

"Gallifrey," the two earth ponies said in unison. The pink earth pony stated, "I remember that. You corrected me when I accidently pronounced it 'Gallopfrey'." Again, the Doctor chuckled quietly at the pony's terminology. The hot pink pony got out of the mess of wires. "Okay, this thing's all fixed, although I had a bit of a hard time reading the instructions. Why'd you need me to fix it anyway?"

"I'm sort-of having trouble gripping things ever since I got these hooves. I'd ask your unicorn friend to help me, but apparently, she's mad with me." Just then, the aforementioned unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, came running into the TARDIS. She exclaimed, "Doctor! Doodledraw! Something happened at the Queen's Ceremony! Somepony much like Nightmare Moon appeared, and it turns out to be an old foe that's possessing the Queen. Doctor, first of all, I'm sorry for doubting you and thinking you were crazy. Second, we need to unite the Elements of this world in order to stop this monster from unleashing eternal night."

"That's great!" Doodledraw announced. "That you've accepted the Doctor. Not the whole Nightmare Moon thing. Now all we need to do is unite the Elements, but there's one problem."

"And what's that, DD?"

"We don't have a Rarity."

Princess Twilight was worried. Most ponies had left because they were scared for Tirek's return, those who had remembered hauling the younger one's out. Only a brave few stayed, seeing what the princess would say to do. The unicorn princess went up to her room to think. She looked out from the balcony into the sky, seeing the beautiful stars and the full moon that just moments ago had been eclipsed. It was in Twilight's nature to wish for things. She had even wished for this position as leader of DreamValley, and gotten it. At this moment, she had to wish hard.

"By the brightest stars in the western sky," she started her wish, "I wish that this beast we call Tirek will finally be put to the punishment he deserves. We thought we had defeated him, long ago. Apparently, his soul has dwelled all these years in the mind of another, and my wish is that you will bring me a mighty army of warriors from this generation to serve as guard as I hunt for the answer to this problem."

"Princess?" one of her dragon guards interrupted. The princess didn't mind. After all, this was one of her most trusted guards. She answered him, "Yes, Spike?"

"Four ponies are still in the celebration hall." This was the answer to her cry. These four ponies would serve as guards. "Should I send them away?"

"No! Bring them up to me, please." Her dragon guard did as he was told, and in just a few short moments, all four earth ponies were brought up for briefing. Princess Twilight started by saying, "Alright, mares, I know this may seem out-of-the-blue, but I want you to serve as guards as I find a substitute for the Rainbow of Light, used to destroy Tirek years ago. I do not know if you will accept or decline my offer, but I will reward you if we survive. Now, I will need to know your names and abilities for this mission. We'll start with…" she pointed a hoof to one with a blue coat and rainbow-colored hair. "…you. What's your name?"

"I am Rainbow Dash. I work as a dressmaker in town."

"And what's your name?" She pointed to a pale pink pony with a purple and blonde mane.

"I'm Fluttershy. I'm a freelance photographer and love nature."

"You?" The princess pointed to another pink pony, with a pale pink mane.

"Pinkie Pie. I'm the local party planner and café owner."

"And what is your name…." Princess Twilight's words faded away as she noticed who she was standing in front of: an orange mare with a blonde mane a blue bow on her tail. She immediately asked if the pony's name was, "Applejack?"

"Twilight?" The orange earth pony asked back.

"You're alive?" The unicorn princess started to hug her old friend, tears forming in her eyes. "I thought you died in the war!"

"I didn't. I may be a klutz, but I have no intentions on dying any time soon." After the two were done hugging, the princess prepared a new speech. "After all these years, I finally realize what friendship can be, and I know now…it's enough to defeat Tirek once and for all!"

"What do you mean, 'we don't have a Rarity'?" Twilight repeated her friend's words in shock. Doodledraw explained, "Well, we've seen alternate versions of you, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. The only one missing from this picture is-!"

"Rarity," the other two ponies said in realization.

"Exactly, and if we have any hope on defeating this world's Nightmare Moon, we need to find the Element of Generosity. It'll be hard to find her since there's already one dressmaker in town. I still can't believe Rainbow-!"

"Maybe she's not in town…" Twilight thought out loud.

"What do you mean?"

"Doodledraw, remember how Princess Twilight said they banished all the beasts from DreamValley?"

"Yes…"

"Maybe they didn't go alone!" The purple unicorn ran then ran out of the TARDIS, the two earth ponies following behind. DD eventually caught up, and asked, "Twi, what are you getting at?"

"Remember how Rarity got kidnapped by the Diamond Dogs in our dimension?"

"Are you saying that the Diamond Dogs of this dimension snatched Rarity up, but because she had no friends here, nopony came to save her?" The hot pink pony realized.

"That's exactly what I'm getting at. Now, come on! The Dogs' fields are this way!" As the trio headed to find the alternate Rarity, the unicorn prepared the gem-finding spell to find her efficiently.

Princess Twilight and her new companions headed up to the library tower. The unicorn explained, "I will need to research a method to make a new Rainbow of Light. It's the only way to defeat Tirek. Now let's see…" she began to look on the shelves for the book, until Pinkie Pie spotted a book, and read the title aloud.

"_The Rainbow of Light: A Reference Guide_." The princess gasped, "How did you find it so quickly?"

"It was under 'R'!" her new friend cheerily. The unicorn used her magic and opened the book. She read aloud the text, "'The Rainbow of Light was only used once, by a human named Megan. She used its tremendous power to defeat Tirek, a mighty foe. When Megan left DreamValley forever during the driving out of all creatures that weren't ponies, she said that the power had been split amongst the ponies, into six Elements of Harmony: Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Honesty, Generosity, and Magic. She then said that ponies would represent them, and once united, would form the Rainbow Staff. These were her last words before she left forever.' Wow….I wonder who wrote this book….she never told me any of this."

"Does it say anything else?" Fluttershy questioned. Twilight continued to read aloud, "'The Elements of Harmony must be activated at the place where they were first used: DreamCastle, just outside the borders of DreamValley.'" They all gasped and shocked realizations filled the room.

"Outside of DreamValley?! Ain't there monsters out there?" Applejack asked worriedly.

"I'll get all muddy out there!" Rainbow Dash said with distain.

"I hope we don't meet any of the beasties…" Fluttershy said timidly.

"Quiet!" Princess Twilight ordered. The whole room fell silent. "Now, I realize you may be afraid, but Megan, though it's been a while since I've seen her, would want us to do this. She would've wanted us to follow through and stick to what she did. She probably split the Elements amongst the ponies she trusted the most, but since they're almost all dead….we might as well try. Now, I know where the DreamCastle is, and I know that we'll succeed and make the Rainbow Staff!" Cheers of joy filled the room, and they all soon headed out into the thick forest that surrounded a crumbling DreamCastle.

The three found themselves around many, many holes, probably leading to many different parts of the Diamond Dogs' mining operation. Twilight activated the gem-finding spell, and the two earth ponies followed her down into the most gem-filled tunnel, presuming that Rarity would be in the one with the most. They suddenly heard voices, not of Dogs, but of…

"Rarity," the two mares said with not the least bit of doubt. The trio of ponies found a well-lit cavern, brimming with gems, and in the middle of the room, bossing the Diamond Dogs around, was a pink unicorn with a red and yellow mane, a vest like the rest of her colleagues, and a simple necklace, showing her place as leader of the pack. The pink unicorn noticed something out of place immediately.

"Did my search party finally find me?" the unicorn snarked to the trio. DD came in front and asked, "Search party? What do you mean?" Rarity explained, "I used to be in line for the throne, until that _wretch _Twilight took it when she proposed an idea to 'drive out the monsters that plagued our land'. Well, I was best pals with the Diamond Dogs, because I had relations with them; they're how I got my gems for my dress designs. Anyway, I couldn't let them leave. So, I had a stroke of genius: I'd stay with them and be their leader, since they were lacking one."

"And you've been a generous one," The Doctor noted, looking at how efficiently the Dogs were working. Twi cut to the chase and said, "Look, we're in dire need of your help, Rarity. A great evil has been unleashed on the surface, and we need the Elements of Harmony to unite to bring it down. The only problem is that we need you…you're the Element of Generosity."

"Why should I help you?" the Diamond Dog leader asked.

"This thing could bring harm to not only you, but your dogs as well."

"But we live down here, in the caves, only coming up if we absolutely need to."

"Look, I know you were wronged by your own species, but can't you find enough love in your heart to help them?" The pink unicorn mulled it over, the other three ponies waiting nervously for her answer. Finally, she said something that only the Element of Generosity would answer with:

"I accept."

The group of five ponies, spearheaded by the unicorn princess, stepped into the thick wood that had grown around an unkempt DreamCastle. The princess had no idea of where she was headed, but she remembered the similar star pattern that was in the sky when she and her friends first went to DreamCastle to defeat Tirek. Now, they would do it again, with an almost different set of brave mares. The only pony in the group that was the same was Applejack.

Twilight found that ironic. AJ was a mare cursed with clumsiness, not that she cared about the name-calling that happened to her. Twi remembered the country pony as a stubborn one, one that wouldn't let go without a fight, or if she slipped up. After a few minutes of walking, the unicorn at the front of the pack groaned, "Oh, we've reached a dead-end!"

"And on the side of a cliff too!" Rainbow Dash added. "Looks like we're going to have to find another way around." Just then, the ground beneath their hooves began to rumble, until it broke. It sent them all falling down a steep slant. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, both screaming at the top of their lungs, were caught by the tails by Pinkie Pie. The strong pink earth pony was able to carry them back up to the path.

Applejack and Twilight, however, met a different fate. AJ was able to stop herself before the edge of another cliff came. The princess desperately hung on the edge of the cliff. The orange earth pony grabbed onto her friend's hooves with her own. She told the princess, "I won't let you go!"

"How do I know you won't let go?" Princess Twilight doubted.

"You trust me! We've been friends since forever! Though I may be a klutz, and I know I can't run the farm on my own, I know that I won't let go of you any time soon!" Just then, the orange mare felt somepony grab her tail. Pinkie Pie was pulling the two up the hill, having successfully brought up the others. Twilight, amazed by the pink earth pony's strength, awed, "Wow, you're strong."

"Oh, I've carried more," she replied through a full mouth. "You should see me at the height of business. It's a balancing act for the costumers; dinner and a show!" Once they had all made it back to the top of the crumbling cliffside, they all tried to find an alternative route to DreamCastle. The five ended up going into a deeper section of the woods, where not even the moon was visible through the vegetation. The group then found themselves surrounded by scary monsters, and they screamed in horror, huddling up to keep themselves safe.

All except Pinkie Pie. She was laughing and making funny faces at the nonmoving monsters. Twilight asked, "Pinkie, what are you doing? Get in the huddle!"

"Oh, girls, don't you see?" Pinkie giggled, then began to sing:

_When I was a little filly_

_And the sun was going down…_

"Tell me she's not..." The unicorn princess groaned.

_The darkness and the shadows _

_Would always make me frown…_

"She is…" Rainbow Dash sighed as she watched he friend dance around.

_I'd hide under my pillow_

_From what I thought I saw_

_ But my parents said that wasn't the way_

_To deal with fears at all_

_ They said, "Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall_

_And learn to face your fears!_

_ You'll see the difference _

_And you'll always make them disappear!" _The pink pony laughed at one of the monsters three times, and it turned out to be a normal tree! The rest of the group gasped, shocked by this revelation.

_So, giggle at the ghostie,_

_Guffaw at the grossly,_

_Crack up at the creepy,_

_Woof it up with the weepy,_

_Chortle at the kooky,_

_Snortle at the spooky,_

_And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... _The pink earth pony said in rapid succession, all before laughing out loud. She finally hit her high note:

_LAAAAAAAUUUGH!_

Her friends all ended up laughing at their fears, and moved on from the thickest part of the forest. The five found themselves in another dangerous environment very quickly. A large, slumbering bear was blocking their path. Twilight told the group quiet, "Alright, girls, no sudden movem-!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" screamed Rainbow Dash at the top of her lungs. The bear woke up with a growl, and immediately noticed his next target: the four earth ponies and a pale pink unicorn. The unicorn princess made a protective magical bubble around her friends, and they all huddled together to think of ideas.

"I could run behind him and surprise him enough to scare him," Pinkie Pie spoke first.

"I don't think that a pony will scare a big bear," Princess Twilight doubted.

"I could use my fancy roping skills to tie up the beast," Applejack suggested.

"That's great, AJ," The princess agreed. "But we don't have any rope on hoof."

"Hey, where's Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked. The four ponies looked around, only to spot the missing pink pony going out of the magical barrier and into where the bear was thrashing at the bubble to get to his prey. The brave photographer went up to the beastly bear, as her friends watched in horror. She held up a hoof…

And grabbed a thorn out of the bear's left paw. The great beast sighed, lie down in the same spot as before, and quickly fell asleep. When the magical shield finally gave up, Twilight walked out and stammered, "F-Flut-Fluttershy, h-how did you-!"

"Sometimes we all have to be shown a little kindness," was the photographer's final words on the subject before they continued forward until they met yet another obstacle: a bridge, guarded by a Diamond Dog.

"To cross this bridge," the greedy dog explained, "you must pay me with the right amount of gems; no more, and no less."

The four ponies, two earth ponies and two unicorns, walked through the forest, heading to DreamCastle. They had just passed a steep cliff, a thick part of the wood, and a snoring bear. They had just heard a river raging up ahead, and spotted the other group trying to barter with the Diamond Dog. Rainbow Dash pulled some fabric out of hammerspace to give to the dog, but he only shook his head, saying, "Gem payment only, although you _could _work it off for me…"

"No!" Suddenly, Rarity jumped out, seeing what the greedy dog was doing. "I won't let you!"

"Miss Rarity?" The confused Diamond Dog asked.

"You know this pony?" Princess Twilight questioned, pointing a hoof to the other pink unicorn.

"Yes," the dog nervously chuckled. "She's, um, well, my boss."

"Hello, Ruff," The Dogs' leader waved a hoof to him. The nervous dog waved back, and asked, "Are these ponies friends of yours?"

"No, but please let them through. They are on a mission that could decide this valley's fate." The Diamond Dog let all six through, the three others following from a safe distance, in order to avoid getting too involved in the other group's quest. As soon as they had made it across the river, the unicorn princess exclaimed, "There it is!"

"DreamCastle!" everypony said excitedly, but then groaned as they noticed the final obstacle: an old, rickety rope bridge that was hanging over a cliff that looked like it went for miles down into the ground. Rainbow Dash moved ahead of both groups, and said, "I'll go first." The brave mare went cautiously across, making sure not to look down, but also not to let her hooves fall into any gaps. She finally made it across, and started to say, "See? It's fine as long as we go one at a-!"

The rope at the other side snapped as she tried to finish her sentence. The rainbow-maned pony grabbed the bridge on her side with her hooves, and told the princess, "I'll throw this to you, and you can tie it back up on the other side." Twi nodded to show she understood, but just as the blue earth pony was about to throw the bridge to the other side, something from the castle called to her. She didn't know what, but it told her to let go of the bridge. Did it really matter if her friends helped her? She could save DreamValley all by herself. But in the deepest part of her heart, she knew that her friends were the true thing she needed to succeed.

"Rainbow Dash?" The pink princess asked, grabbing her friend's attention back. Rainbow Dash threw the bridge over to the other side with as much strength as she could muster, and the unicorn caught it using her magic. Once the bridge had been secured at the other side, the rest of the group went over, albeit slowly so it wouldn't break again.

Once again, the princess and her five friends went into DreamCastle while the other three stood outside, not wanting to interfere. Princess Twilight found it nerve-wracking to be standing in front of Tirek once again. Although, this time, Tirek was in the body of their queen. The evil allicorn laughed at the six ponies, "You're kidding. You're kidding right? Do you really think you can stop me? Face the facts, Twilight. You're precious little human friend Megan isn't here to save you, so there's no way you could possibly defeat me now."

"That's where you're wrong, Tirek!" The unicorn princess retorted. "I have my friends. It has been said that if I were to bring the Elements of Harmony here, it would make the Rainbow Staff, making a new Rainbow of Light to defeat you. And I know, through the trials we've faced, that they're right here!" Suddenly, a bright light emanated from the princess' horn, and she called off each of her friends.

"Applejack, through her trustful nature despite clumsiness, shows the Element of Honesty!" An orange gem appeared in front of Twilight.

"Pinkie Pie, for showing bravery and adversity in the face of danger, represents the Element of Laughter!" A blue gem showed up parallel to the first one.

"Fluttershy, for showing love to even beastly creatures, shows the Element of Kindness!" A pink gem put itself right next to the blue one.

"Rarity, for letting through complete strangers, represents the Element of Generosity!" A green gem placed itself in-between the orange and blue one.

"And finally, Rainbow Dash, for not giving up on her friends, no matter how bad the situation seemed, shows the Element of the Loyalty!" A red gem appeared in front of all the others, making a star pattern on the floor. "These are the new Elements of Harmony!"

"You're still missing one," Tirek darkly chuckled. Suddenly, another gem, this one purple and in the middle of all the others, formed as Princess Twilight smirked, "How do you think _I _was able to produce the gems? I am the sixth Element: Magic!" A golden staff formed to hold the gems together, and the princess quickly seized it. "This will stop you! The Rainbow Staff!" The evil allicorn didn't even have a chance to move. A brilliant rainbow of colors hit her, and all she could do was scream in pain.

Six ponies lay on the ground, knocked out from the blast. The three waiting outside finally came in. Doodledraw, looking at the fainted six, nervously asked, "A-are they going to be okay?"

"They'll be fine," Twilight Sparkle replied, looking at her alternate self. "This happened to us the first time we discovered the Elements." She noticed the unicorn princess starting to stir, and at last, she woke up. Her first question was, "Did we defeat Tirek? Is the night finally over?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" The Doctor said, looking out a broken window. All the ponies crowded around, seeing the light of the sun just coming up over the horizon. Everypony cheered, for they knew they had succeeded. Suddenly, a beautiful allicorn, her mane and tail resembling stars and celestial bodies, appeared behind the nine ponies. The six from that dimension took notice, and all gasped, "Queen Estrellena!"

"Yes, it is I," the allicorn queen said, her subjects bowing to her. The three foreigners followed suit, even though she wasn't their ruler. The allicorn continued, "Since you have reactivated the Elements, and saved DreamValley once again from eternal night, I believe a celebration is in order."

"I'd love to set up a party!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"Yes, and Twilight…" both Twilights turned their heads. The queen chuckled, "The Twilight of _this _dimension, I'd like you to learn how to use your magical abilities to their finest under my wing."

"I-I would love to, your majesty," the princess replied, still a little shocked from seeing her queen for the first time in many a year.

"Alright, now that we've got that out of the way, I suggest you six head home. You've got a party to plan." The six Elements happily headed home, excited from the adventure they had had. Queen Estrellena then turned her attention back to the other three. She explained, "I will teleport you back to the TARDIS, since you are all in drastic need to get home."

"Yes!" the three exclaimed back. The queen teleported them to the inside of the TARDIS, and with the pull of a lever, the three friends found themselves back at the park in Ponyville. Once Twilight and Doodledraw had left the blue box, the TARDIS left on another adventure, and the stallion prepared for whatever that he may face.

After all, he was the Doctor!


	10. A Date With Destiny

_Doodledraw's POV_

It had been a few days after the whole "Doctor Whooves" incident, and I was helping Twilight organize the library. I was getting the lower shelves, while the purple unicorn sorted the higher shelves with her magic. I had just finished sorting a shelf when I heard Spike belch from upstairs. I didn't know if my friend had heard it, but I knew exactly what that meant: A letter from Princess Celestia. I counted down in my head, _three…two…one…_

"Twilight!" The dragon came running down the stairs, holding a letter in his claw. "I just got a letter from Princess Celestia!" Twi unrolled it, and gasped upon reading it. I immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is it an emergency?"

"No, but the princesses want to meet with me as soon as possible. I'm going to have to find a carriage if I want to get there in-!"

"Can I go with you, Twi?" Spike, who was now right beside me, eagerly asked.

"No, you can't, Spike. The princesses specifically want me and _only me. _I'm sorry," and then, she left without another word on the matter. I was just about to leave, when I realized that Spike would be all alone. I hadn't spent that much time alone with the baby dragon, and Twilight would kill me if she knew I left him here alone.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked Spike. I then noticed that the dragon was wearing a choker. It was a black choker with a beautiful blue gem in the middle. I again asked, "Where did you get that choker?"

"Oh, this?" He put a claw around the gem in the center. "I got it from Rarity. I promised her I would never take it off."

"But…Rarity hasn't been around for about a week. How did you get it from her when I've seen you for the past few days?"

"It's kinda a long story…"

"I have time," I said, eyeing a clock while I seated myself on the floor.

"Well, it all started back when Rarity left…."

_Third Person POV_

Spike bawled at the top of his lungs, still crying from when Rarity had left to Canterlot three hours ago. Twilight used her magic to put him in his bed and tucked him in, and groaned, "Spike, get over it! She left hours ago, and the only time I've seen you even close to this was when she left the first time!"

"B-but I want her to come back!" the dragon whined. "Sh-she loves me…"

"No, you love her!" The unicorn corrected. But Spike remembered that day when he went on a greedy rampage, and only Rarity, the Element of Generosity, was able to stop him. Once Spike had been stopped, the two freefell, since the dragon's size could no longer support them. At that moment, the dragon confessed his love for the white unicorn, but she shushed him with a hoof, tears in her eyes. Right then and there, he knew they had something.

"You don't know anything about me!" He managed to respond through tears.

"Spike, I raised you since you were hatched," she explained. "Heck, I'm the one who hatched you! It was part of my entrance exam!"

"Yeah, and that was also the day you got your cutie mark," the dragon sighed, refraining from crying for now. Twilight went on with studying while the dragon closed his eyes, quietly wishing he was a pony. Yes, if he were a pony, there would be nothing in the way of the two from them being together. Those were his last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep.

_Spike found himself in a dark area, nothing around him except an invisible ground to stand on. He only walked a few feet, and then found a brilliant source of light. The figure casting it looked a bit like Celestia, in that she was an allicorn and had a long flowing mane. However, her blonde mane flowed the wrong way, and she had a light purple coat. She announced, "I am Destiny, ruler of the Dream Realm. And who might you be, young dragon?"_

_ "I-I'm Spike," he nervously said, unsure of whether to trust her or not. "Why am I here? And why haven't I met you before? I know I've had dreams before…"_

_ "You certainly have," she chuckled. "I've also noticed in the past few years you've been frequently dreaming about somepony named Rarity."_

_ "Yes! I…um…."_

_ "Have a crush on her?" the baby dragon was stunned she knew that. "Don't worry, your 'secret' is safe with me. Now, little Spike, I have an opportunity for you…and am prepared to make your dreams come true."_

_ "Really?" He gulped as something nagged in the back of his mind, and wasn't afraid to ask. "Is there a price attached to this?"_

_ "Oh, no! All I want you to do is accept the consequences of this new form you will take when you awake."_

_ "What new form?"_

_ "The form….of a pony…."Spike got chills down his spine when she said that. He nervously asked, "A po-pony?"_

_ "Pegasus to be exact," she said smoothly. "You will find positives to this new form, but you will also find it has its negatives. I will give you until the midnight of this day to make the decision on whether or not you want this form forever. And remember, all of today is a dream. The rest of your life, if you choose to accept it, will be the reality."_

Spike awoke with a shiver down his spine, and a pain on his back. He then realized where he was sitting. Not in his usual little dragon bed, but in an actual bed that a pony would sleep in. He then looked at his claw, which he found was now a hoof. _Gonna have to get used to that…_, he thought.

The dragon-er, Pegasus, looked at his new form in a full-body mirror. He was now a light purple Pegasus, with a somewhat fluffy green mane. His tail was one that resembled Rainbow Dash's in style, and his cutie mark was three gems. _That's strange…_he thought, because he knew that though dragons love gems, it wasn't appropriate as his job of Twilight's number one assistant.

_Speaking of Twilight, where is she?_ The Pegasus thought. He then heard somepony yawning, and turned around to see the purple unicorn, waking up in a bed adjacent to his. She looked around, and upon spotting him, greeted, "Good morning, Spike."

"Huh? Oh, good morning, Twi," he greeted back, having to get used to the fact that she was now at eye-level with him. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Breakfast? Well, that's a nice gesture." Spike was stunned when she said that, and tried to explain, "But I always make you breakfast!"

"And usually you always sleep in! That's why I had to learn to make it on my own!" The Pegasus, still a little stunned by this revelation, asked, "How long have I been living with you?"

"About 8 years. We met the day I passed my entrance exam," the unicorn explained his new back-story, "and your parents moved you  
from Cloudsdale. Since then, you've been my best, and only, friend. Afterwards, we soon became roommates and moved to Ponyville."

"…How do you send letters to the princess?" He was a bit hesitant to ask that one, on account of it sounding a bit stupid. But, Twi happily answered, "Why, we use Owlicious, of course!" The aforementioned pet was found sitting on the window-sill, sleeping. The Pegasus gave him a 'don't-you-steal-my-position' glare, which the unicorn noticed, and laughed, "You've always hated that bird."

Once the purple unicorn was out of sight, Spike started to look at his new form in the mirror, and asked out loud, "I wonder why she gave me wings…"

"_Because you're a dragon,_" his reflection responded in a feminine voice, "_and don't dragon's traditionally have wings?_" His reflection then turned into Destiny, and he flinched back a little.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Why are you in the real world? I thought you only existed in dreams?"

"_I do, because this _is _still part of your dream. Consider this a 'free-trial offer', an overview of what's happening in this world. Nothing that happens today will be in this world's 'records', so to speak, but remember: there are pros and cons to this new world, and you must figure them out._"

"Yeah, like Owlicious now being number one assistant…" he groaned. She darkly chuckled, "_Oh, there's _much _more than that, darling…_." She then drifted away, his reflection now normal again. He walked downstairs, ate some breakfast (which consisted of wheat waffles, something he wasn't used to), and headed out the door, ready to see what else was different about Ponyville.

"Hey, you!" an assertive voice called out. Spike turned to see a fellow Pegasus, Rainbow Dash coming to him, a scowl across her face. "I got something for you!" The blue Pegasus pushed the purple one into a nearby mud puddle. She walked off in a huff, and Spike picked himself out of the mud puddle. He, again, asked himself, "What was that for?"

"_Oh, I didn't tell you?_" Destiny now appeared in the puddle. "_You took her place as the Element of Loyalty!_"

"WHAT?!"

"_You see, when Discord was released, Twilight put you as a temporary replacement to Rainbow Dash. They didn't work the first time, but that was because everypony else was effected by Dizzy. Unfortunately, the others were not able to capture Rainbow Dash because the discording seeped a little too far into her brain. Fortunately, you proved to be a fine replacement, and were able to turn Discord back to stone. RD is fine now, but she's _furious _at you for taking her place…_"

"I-I didn't mean to make her mad…" but Spike found out a little too late that he was talking to nothing again. He then spotted a face that in any dimension would make him happy. Rarity, who was walking down the street, noticed a soaking wet Spike, and exclaimed, "Oh, my! Spike, darling, what happened to you?"

"Rainbow pushed me into that puddle…"

"Oh, the nerve of her! I don't understand why she still hates you." The unicorn produced a towel from out of nowhere and wrapped it around him.

"She's still jealous of me taking over as the Element of Loyalty."

"After all these years? For shame! I think she should put the past behind her and move on to a new and improved relationship with my coltfriend!" Those last words hit the Pegasus like an express train.

"Wait….I'm your coltfriend?"

"Well, of course. Why wouldn't you be?" As Rarity then walked away, the Pegasus shot up into the air, happier than Pinkie Pie normally was, and exclaimed, "WHOO-HOO!" He then plummeted to the ground, having no idea how to use his new wings. He then remembered something that Rainbow Dash once mentioned to him about flying.

_"So, when are you going to get your wings? I can't wait to teach you! You know, most non-pegusi think it takes a bunch of focus and brain power to fly. But really, it's what you feel in your heart that makes you soar. My dreams to be with the Wonderbolts someday really empower me. Fluttershy says that when she's really, really happy is when she can fly at her best, and Derpy once told me that getting the mail in on time is how she flies so well, even with her eyes that way." _

With what she had said echoing through his mind, the purple Pegasus flew up into the clouds, knowing that every last bit of his love for Rarity was pouring out into his wing power. Because of his natural dragon-ness, he took it all in: the beautiful skyline, the soft clouds, even the sun felt better. He couldn't wait to start flying as a dragon.

_Well, if I decide to change back, _he thought.

After a while, Spike started to remember things about this world. Dates with Rarity, saving Equestria a few times, and that he had a date with her tonight. He adjusted the buttons on his suit (he was somehow very dexterous, even with the hooves), and Twilight smiled, coming into the bedroom unannounced. As he finished the final details on the suit, he asked his roommate, "What do you think?"

"It's very stunning," she answered. "You're really going to impress Rarity by wearing a tux."

"Well, I want to make a good impression on this date."

"Why? It's not like this is your first!" She laughed.

"Y-yeah…totally not my first," he laughed back nervously. He had probably gone on many dates with Rarity in her mind, but no matter how he looked on the outside, he was still the same baby dragon inside. He didn't know how to act in front of Rarity for a date, but two words echoed in his mind: _Be yourself._

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The purple unicorn went to go get it, and moments later, announced, "Spike! Rarity's here for your date!" The Pegasus was right by her side not a second later, and asked his fillyfriend, "Ready for our date?"

"Yes," the white unicorn answered. "I wanted to go to the café, if that's alright with you."

"I'll go any place you want to go, Rarity," the love-struck Pegasus answered back. The couple headed off to the café, and watched from a seat outside the stars. Rarity stated, "It was nice of them to have let us eat out here in private."

"Yeah, it was," he replied with a mouth half-filled with hay-fries. She giggled, "You know, I've been wondering…" her horn then glowed blue as she produced a box. She opened it, and Spike saw a beautiful black choker with a sapphire in the middle. "…if I should give you this."

"Oh, Rarity…." he gasped, "It's beautiful." The white unicorn placed it down in front of him as the purple Pegasus, who was staring at the gem. It was so beautiful, so eye-catching; if only he could just…

**_CRUNCH!_**

****"Spike, what are you doing?" Rarity stared oddly at her coltfriend.

"I was eating the gem…" Spike didn't even try to hide the fact of what he was doing. He tried to eat the gem, and he didn't even realize his teeth couldn't take it!

"What do think you are," she chuckled, "a dragon?" The Pegasus tried to play along and said, "Hehe, yeah, 'Rawr! Imma dragon!' Hehe…."

"I mean, could you imagine the chances of a brutish dragon living in Equestria?"

"Hey! Not all dragons are brutish!" He shouted in his defense.

"Well, I guess you're right….I mean, I'm sure there's a dragon out there with a sensitive heart and a caring nature who longs to be with somepony that's the same way."

"Yeah…." the former dragon now found himself torn. He wanted to be here with Rarity, but he was going to miss his memories he had made back at his real home. He spent the rest of the date a bit out of it, but his fillyfriend didn't take notice. He went home, went to bed, and all before midnight.

_"Have you made your decision?" Destiny asked, as Spike found himself in the Realm of Dreams again. He nodded, "Yes, I believe….I want to stay a dragon."_

_ "But you finally have a chance with Rarity," Destiny tempted him, almost as if she wanted him to give in._

_ "But I'll never regret not being with my friends as a dragon. I just like being myself! Besides, I don't like the idea of Owlicious being number-one assistant…"_

_ "Very well, then," she said in a voice much deeper than her own._

_Doodledraw's POV_

"You decided to stay here, didn't you?" I assumed, breaking the flow of his story. Spike nodded, "I did, but she let me keep the choker. She said if I were to eat the gem, it would return to the world where I'm a pony."

"But you'll never eat it, right?"

"It's a gift from Rarity. I'll keep it forever." The dragon smiled. I smiled back, understanding his logic. I looked over at a piece of parchment and quill lying on a podium, and asked, "Can I use some of the paper?" the dragon nodded in response, still looking at his gem. I dipped the quill in ink and wrote another letter to my parents.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ Today, I learned that we share a special bond with those we love, whether that may cross into another time and space. Those bonds will last if we be ourselves and our not afraid to show the world who we are. And after time, we realize the bonds of that love can never be broken, that love can be stronger than stone._

_ I'd also like to say that I'm thinking of coming out to Raini Valley since I've been planning to visit the girls. Send a return letter, though I can't guarantee when I'll get it; the mail delivery's a bit wonky here._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Doodledraw_

"I'm back!" Twilight announced as I was rolling up the letter. I was quick to ask, "So, what was happening that the Princesses needed you for?"

"Celestia was in need of somepony to help her out. Luna was busy with something in the gardens."

"That's odd," Spike chimed in. "You'd think the leader of Equestria wouldn't need help running her country."

"Well, she did," Twi answered. "Maybe we should keep a watchful eye on her just in case anything serious happens." I nodded in agreement; this was a very serious subject, and we didn't know what would happen next.


	11. Coming Back Home

It had been a while since the whole gang and I had met up. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and I were all playing a round of cards. Of course, I knew who was winning because she had a whole bunch of bits in front of her. Pinkie, who was the dealer, placed a new bunch of cards in front of us. I, unfortunately, had nothing worth of value, and was the first to fold.

"I'm out," Pinkie said flatly.

"I don't have anything, sugarcube," AJ put down the worthless hand.

"Nothing," Twilight chimed in.

"Well, I think _I _have something," Fluttershy said softly, putting down her hand. We all stared eagerly at it. It was a 9, 10, Jack, and Queen. We all smiled, finally happy somepony else was winning.

"Girls, before you get all excited," our present winner chuckled, "perhaps you'd like to see _my _hand." Our winner put it down, and we all saw that she had four Kings. The orange earth pony stated, "I still think you were cheating."

"Doesn't matter!" Rainbow Dash, the one who was winning royally (if it wasn't obvious enough), exclaimed, "Put your hat in the winnings pile!" AJ angrily threw her hat on the table and groaned, "This was the new one from last time…" As Rainbow Dash was collecting her winnings, I looked at a letter that Derpy had interrupted our card game to give. I noticed the return address, and gasped. It was the names of my parents.

I then proceeded to rip it open, my friends staring at me. Twilight was the first to speak up, and asked, "DD, what are you doing?"

"The letter that Derpy gave me during our game is from my parents." They all gasped and went from crowding around RD to crowding around me, much to the Pegasus' dismay. They had all known I had intentions on going back for a while now. They all really wanted to see RainiValley, despite it being a small town on the map. I then got the letter open and read it silently.

_Dear Doodledraw,_

_ It has been over a month since we saw you last! It's really nice that you and your friends want to come, but we don't know if we can make enough room for your friends at our house._

_ But the inn has enough arrangements so that all six of your friends can stay over there, two rooms for three each. Your friends have been missing you. Sapling has wanted you to see the new apple orchard she set up, and Lapis Loopy wants you to use more of the sparkles she found in your next piece._

_ In short, we hope you can return soon, even with your wonky mail service._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Your Parents_

"What's it say?" Rainbow Dash asked, a bit shocked from all the attention I was getting. I stuttered, "M-my parents want you guys and me to come out as soon as possible." Everypony cheered, and we all started to plan and prep for the trip. AJ was eager to help my friend Sapling with the new apple orchard once I told her about it. I explained, "Sapling and Lapis Loopy are my best friends back home. Sapling is a unicorn that loves gardening, and Lapis…let's just say Pinkie and her would really get along."

"I bet!" Pinkie chimed in. "I could show her my sapphire cupcake recipe!" Spike, who had joined us for planning, since he was coming with us, drooled at the thought. Fluttershy asked, "Do you have any interesting animals there?"

"Sorry," I sighed, "nothing really tropical or rare to the area." Rainbow Dash jumped in to ask, "Well, is there anypony I can impress with my flying skills?"

"Actually, we don't have many pegusi in town."

"Then how do you clear the clouds for Winter Wrap-Up?"

"Pegusi from Baltimare come in to help. We're really close to it."

"But Baltimare's, like, eight hours away! And that's if you ride by carriage!"

"I know. It took me, like, three days to get here on hoof. And I took the scenic route." We then mapped out a route that would take us there the shortest distance, and figured that Pinkie Pie and Applejack would pull the carriage for the first half, Twilight and Fluttershy the rest. Rainbow Dash would fly ahead and tell us of any obstacles, and Spike and I would just sit back and relax. After all, we were meeting up with my folks.

The next morning, we loaded up a carriage as Twilight and Fire Twilight (now in a steady relationship) said their good-byes. After that, we all headed to RainiValley, an eight-hour drive ahead of us. Around halfway, we stopped for lunch and to change positions. Rainbow Dash, who was getting tired of flying, just sat atop the moving carriage.

"There it is!" I shouted, finally seeing RainiValley in the distance. My friends all cheered, exhausted from the trip. Our first stop was my house, and the girls would take the carriage down to the inn. I nearly jumped out of the cart when I saw my parents waiting for me outside of the house. My friends stopped, and I got out, exclaiming, "Mom! Dad! You're here!"

"We sure are!" My mom laughed. "Come inside! Your father made dinner, and there's something we need to talk to you about."

"Wait, you guys want me to move back here?" I asked, a bit of my dad's mashed potatoes in my mouth. My mom only nodded, while my dad explained, "Being out on your own while you're young can be difficult, especially when you're an artist."

"But Dad, I'm getting commissions by the boatload for paintings! The mayor is even thinking about selecting me to do a portrait of her."

"That might change later. We only are thinking of what's best for you," my mother chimed in. "We'll give you until tomorrow night to decide." The rest of dinner was spent in silence. I then went to my room, which hadn't changed at all since I had left. I only had until tomorrow night to tell my friends that I'd be staying….unless they could help me decide. I slowly fell asleep, the thoughts of leaving my new friends haunting my dreams.

The next morning, my friends decided to come over before I woke up. How did I know this? Because the first face I woke up to was Applejack looking through my room. As soon as the orange earth pony saw I was awake, she apologized, "Sorry for bein' up here, DD! I didn't move anything, I promise!"

"I trust you," I yawned, getting out of bed. All six of my friends gathered around for breakfast now that I was awake, and I explained what I had planned for the day. "I was thinking we could all take a walk out in the woods outback. I used to trek through them all the time as a filly."

"W-we have to go out there?" Fluttershy asked nervously.

"Relax," I reassured her. "It's not like this place is the EverfreeForest or anything." We all laughed except Fluttershy, who was still suspicious. After we were done eating breakfast, we packed our saddlebags with so we could spend the whole day out in the woods. Then, we headed out. I noticed many of the sights I had put in my mind of the place, and many new things as well. I then saw a log that brought back a memory in my mind. My friends stopped when I stopped to see what I was doing. I explained, "You know, that log over there is where I got my cutie mark."

"Really?" asked Twilight, a bit skeptical. I then went into the detailed story of how I got my cutie mark.

_I was for almost my entire childhood, a blank flank. The problem was I was good at many things. I liked to play video games, had some writing skills, and was an exceptional singer. I also loved doodling on my notes constantly, but my teachers had gotten used to that._

_ Me and my other blank flank friend Araidia were constantly teased for it. And you know what I said to each and every one of them? "I can earn it! It just needs more effort put into it than most ponies use!" They still laughed at me, but my teachers were very encouraging. Especially my art teacher; she loved giving me pencils and paper to express how I was feeling right now. She'd call work like that "vent art" because it was a vent for my emotions._

_ One time, I was thinking about a story we had heard in class. The one about the two allicorn sisters, and I just couldn't get the image I wanted to draw out of my head: the two sisters lunging at each other, the sun and moon in the background. I did it, and though the teacher was very impressed, but everyone thought it was weird that I'd do a piece of work that'd probably been done a thousand times over and completely fictitious._

_ I took the piece of art and ran home, crying. I went to this log to cry, and was tempted to throw my art into the stream nearby. My mom, though hating the woods with utter disgust, came out to try and cheer me up. I told her what everypony thought of my art. She then looked at it, and said, "Well, at least I like it. It's very nice, and….actually looks somewhat professional." The approval of my parents was always the best for me, so I took it to heart. Suddenly, there was a flash of light behind me. I turned around to see, and found a picture of a paper and pencil on my flank. I cheered, and my parents began to plan my cute-cenera._

"Wow, that was great story," Rainbow Dash said. We went back to walking, and the blue Pegasus continued, "Actually, the story of how I gained my cutie mark is how I found out I was friends with the Elements before we even met." As we continued foreword, she explained how she got it, her friends pitching in to tell their stories. Once they were done, I said, "You know, I never met my best friends, Sapling and Lapis Loopy until I was about 12."

"Really?" Twilight asked again. We all stopped again as I went onto explain how I met my best friends.

_I was about twelve years old. Two new students had joined my class that year. Much like your school back in Ponyville, mine was a one-room schoolhouse, and that meant we shared it with ponies older and younger than us. Most of the class was around the same age, but these two new students weren't. Sapling, a blonde unicorn with a green coat was about 15, and Lapis Loopy was 10, a purple coat and a light blue mane._

_ Now, I had felt like I was drifting away from my old friends for a while. They had grown into having different interests than me, and I felt like I just didn't fit in. But the way Sapling talked about gardening made it sound like the best thing in the world…so I joined her._

_ Sapling had begun to make friends with Lapis, and invited her over to a small "garden party" she had set up for us two. Sap picked out flowers to plant, and I brought some fruit seeds to plant. Lapis, however, brought gems for us to plant. She was always strange like that._

_ By the end of the day, we had set up an impressive array of fruits, flowers, and buried gems. Sapling, for some reason, asked us if we all wanted to be best friends. Lapis eagerly accepted, but I told her I'd have to think about it. It was a lot to consider. I'd never had a best friend before. But we had so much fun together. And the best part about that fun was that nopony hurt the other's feelings._

_ The next school day, she asked me if I had finally made my decision. And I said, "Yes. I choose you as my best friend."_

"Well, I think it's time for lunch," I said, breaking them out of the story. They all nodded their heads, and pulled their lunches out of their saddlebags. AJ packed a lunch of apples and other assorted fruit, while Pinkie Pie was gulping down a gallon bottle of…

Chocolate milk.

_Disgusting drink, _I thought. Then I realized I was thinking out loud, again. The rest of the group looked at me, then at what Pinkie was doing. Applejack said, "Uh, Pinkie, I think it's best if you put the gallon jug away. Not everypony likes it after-!"

"It's alright, I understand," the pink pony said apologetically, and stopped gulping it down and put the bottle back in her bag. "I've had many ponies overreact because I still drink this stuff." RD then commented, "Yeah, drinking the stuff just doesn't have the same appeal ever since-!"  
"You don't have to bring it up…" I said as softly as Fluttershy. The forest was silent until Twilight stepped foreword and asked, "Okay, I'm stumped; what did he do to hurt you?"

"It wasn't what he did to me, but it's what he did to my parents…"

_It had taken a while for the chaos to reach Raini Valley, mostly in the form of cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain. That's about how chaotic I remember it got. My parents, however, had an unfortunate run-in with Discord, who force-corrupted them for no reason, but to, you know, create more disorder._

_ I had gotten home from school, and wanted to show them a picture I had made. I wouldn't have noticed it at first, but my parents were staring down at me, like I was a young filly. I wasn't, though, I was 17! I gave the picture to my mom, and she didn't even look at it. She just held it with her unicorn magic…_

_ And slowly, straight down the middle…_

_ She tore it in half. Tears started to run down my cheeks, and my parents walked away like they didn't even care. I just ran up to my room and cried my eyes out. I didn't feel like drawing anything. A chill that made my world feel grey came over me._

_ After a while, I could hear my parents arguing from downstairs, something they never did. Then, I knew something was wrong, but I didn't come down. What did it matter? My life felt worthless now, like I had lost my purpose. Then, came a sweeping rainbow of color over me, and all of Equestria. It inspired me to draw, and it didn't matter what anypony thought anymore._

_ After a while, my parents finally apologized, but by then, I had realized that they weren't themselves. And I also realized it didn't matter what anyone else thought. I could be my own person, make my own decisions…_

I gasped as I realized my own words. I could make this decision on my own…and my parents didn't have to affect it. Although my best friends were here, I kept good relationships with them by sending letters to them often. Besides, I had made a new best friend…Twilight Sparkle.

My best friend and the rest of the group spent the rest of the day in the woods. Fluttershy took in all of nature and loved looking at the animals. Rainbow Dash would run and do daring tricks around the trees. Twilight took a book out of her saddlebags and read as we went.

As soon as we got home, my parents immediately asked me what my decision was. I explained, "Well, I have learned today that I need to be my own person, and sometimes do what I think is best, even if it's not what other ponies want. You can pursue your own talent, no matter where you come from or what your family's history may be. So, I decide to stay with my new friends in Ponyville. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," my father said. "We kinda figured you'd want to stay with your new friends." And I did. We spent the next few days helping my old best friends. Applejack gave Sapling tips on how to help the new apple orchard grow to its fullest, while Lapis Loopy and Spike became fast friends. To sum it up, it was pretty good to come back home.


	12. Ponio and Juliet

Me and my friends headed to Canterlot for another huge play, and this time it wasn't the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant like they had done before. Tonight, we were performing Sheakspony, and his most famous piece, _Romeo and Juliet_. Twilight was the leading lady, Juliet, Rainbow Dash was playing the furious and assertive Tybcolt, a perfect role for her, and Pinkie Pie was playing the comedic role of Mercutio.

And why was I joining them for the ride? Twilight had requested me to design the sets and work backstage. I gladly accepted. The best part about this was that Fire Twilight, Twi's coltfriend, was playing Romeo! The purple unicorn screamed with delight when she found out. Of course, we decided to keep her role as Juliet a secret so it would be a surprise.

For those of you who don't know, the story of _Romeo and Juliet_ is something like this: The Capulinas and the Montufolinos have been fighting for ages. It is stage tradition that both sides be elites, meaning Pegusi and unicorns. Romeo, a Montufolino, and Juliet, a Capulina, fall in love despite this feud. They quickly marry, but Romeo kills Tybcolt and is banished to outside of Equestria. Juliet pretends to be dead, sends a messenger, but he doesn't arrive, and somepony else tells Romeo she's _actually_ dead. Romeo kills himself, only for Juliet to find out and she kills herself, then both families decide to forget about this feud for the better.

Right now, I was looking for Fire Twilight to drop him a few hints about his fillyfriend being the female lead. I heard him rehearsing, "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hooves do…" before opening the door to his dressing room. I asked, "Hey, Fire, ready for the play tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm just rehearsing the kissing scene. I have no idea who I might be kissing tonight. You…you don't think this'll dampen our relationship, do you?"

"Oh, no. In fact, I think this might even draw you two _closer…_" I almost giggled out the words, dropping an obvious hint.

"What do you mean? Do you know who's playing Juliet?"

"Well, all I do know is that you two spend a lot of time together, and are best friends that-!"

"I've got it! I know who the leading lady's identity is!" He put his hooves on my shoulders. "It's you!" He then left the dressing room, prepared to come on stage, and Twilight came in, dressed for her first scene. She asked, "So, did he find out?"

"Actually…he thinks _I'm _playing Juliet."

"Wait, you're not even a unicorn!"

"That's what I thought! But…do you want to surprise him?"

"What are you thinking of doing?"

"Well, we could get some hairspray, extensions, and a few other things to make you look more like me…"

"Or I could use a copy spell to mime your appearance…" the purple unicorn explained, readying her horn for the spell. With a bright flash of light, the unicorn's hair and tail now looked like mine, with only one minor flaw.

"You're hair's magenta," I pointed out, "like the streak you usually have…"

"Another stage tradition. The Capulinas have red and pink hair, and the Montufolinos have blue and purple hair," she explained. "Now, I think it's time we headed out to the backstage." She and I did so, and everypony in the audience hushed as we saw Princess Luna come onto the stage. The announced, "It has been many, _many_ years since I have seen this play performed, and it is just as good as I remember it. Tonight, my sister has given me the privilege to read the prologue." She cleared her throat, and then recited:

"Two households, both alike in dignity,  
In fair Canterlot, where we lay our scene,  
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,  
Where civil blood makes civil hooves unclean.  
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes  
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;  
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows  
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.  
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,  
And the continuance of their parents' rage,  
Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,  
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;  
The which if you with patient ears attend,  
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend." Luna got off the stage as applause filled the theater, and the curtain was raised for the first scene. The first scene involved servants from both sides biting their hooves at each other, thus starting a fight. The Prince, played by Prince Blueblood, then tells both sides that if another fight like this breaks out, somepony will be severely punished.

After Romeo and Benvolio getting some invitations by helping an illiterate and Mercutio going on about somepony named Queen Mab, came the next big scene where Romeo and Juliet meet. I watched from backstage as Fire Twilight said the same lines he was reciting earlier, "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hooves do;  
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake," Twilight said as Juliet.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.  
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took," she explained as the two kissed. The yellow unicorn questioned, "Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
Give me my sin again." They then kissed once more, and Juliet gasped, "You kiss by the book!" Nurse, played by Nurse Redheart, interrupted the moment by stating, "Madam, your mother craves a word with you." Juliet went offstage and I immediately asked her, "You think he noticed your kiss?"

"I hope," she replied, "otherwise I don't know where or when he may find out it's me!" She then changed into her nightgown for the next scene, where she got up on the balcony. Romeo, upon seeing this, announced, "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?  
It is the east, and Juliet is Celestia.  
Arise, Celestia, and kill the envious Luna,  
Who is already sick and pale with grief…" apparently, Sheakspony could see Luna's jealousy before she became Nightmare Moon. The couple plan to get married, and Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence, played by Fancypants, who is against it, but then realizes this might end the big family feud once and for all. So he agrees to wed them, and their marriage is happy…

Until the next day, when Mercutio gets in a fight with Tybcolt. Tybcolt, played by RD, announced, "Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo."

"Consort?" Mercutio, played by Pinkie, questioned. "What, dost thou make us minstrels? An thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but Discord. Here's my fiddlestick," she pulled out a rapier using her horn (Twi gave her one using magic before the show.) "Here's what shall make you dance. Zounds, consort!" Then, Romeo shows up and tries to break up the fight, but fails miserably and Mercutio gets injured and dies.

Romeo then gets banished to outside of Equestria….I've already told you all of this, so let's skip to the death scene. Juliet had just woken up, only to find Romeo dead, and now truly killed herself. Once the remaining members of the family, Prince, and Friar Lawrence had found them dead, and the two feuding families made up with each other, the prince recited the final words of the play: "A glooming peace this morning with it brings;  
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:  
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;  
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:  
For never was a story of more woe  
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." As the curtains closed, everypony, and even some backstage clopped for the performers and the show. Everypony involved went out onto the stage for a bow. As we did so, Twilight's little disguise gave out, and Fire Twilight gasped, "Twi? It was you the whole time?" Of course, only the ponies onstage could hear him over the still deafening applause.

"Yes…it was me the entire time," she replied.

"How…how could I have been so stupid and not noticed it was you? I mean, you guys nearly kissed the same way!"

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I wanted it to be a surprise and maybe that would-!" The purple mare's apology was interrupted by the yellow stallion's kiss. I thought to myself, _there was never a more beautiful love that was magic, and I know for certain this one won't end as tragic…_


	13. Chaos is Cool

_((Author's Note: Some of this chapter will probably contradict the upcoming Discord episode, "Keep Calm and Flutter On," I can feel it. In the event of that...I don't particulary want to change this chapter, so I guess the story will keep calm and carry on like I already have it planned out to. Anywho, all rights for the songs used in this chapter belong to Owl City.))_

Today, it was raining chocolate milk. That's right, you heard correctly: chocolate milk. A stunned Twilight and I watched from the library as a brown downpour appeared, coming from pink, sticky cotton candy clouds. The purple unicorn, coming out of the shock, said, "This is impossible! We locked up Discord only a few years ago! He couldn't have gotten out just yet."

"There's another thing I don't understand about this," Spike jumped in, beginning to gaze out the window as well, "Why didn't the Princess send us a letter yet? You'd think she would've noticed this stuff by now…" I looked around outside for an answer, then suddenly, I found it. Right next to the border of Ponyville, which was in view, the clouds just…stopped. I gasped, "That's it!"

"What's it?" The unicorn and dragon asked in unison.

"Look just beyond the borders of Ponyville; the clouds just stop!"

"DD, that doesn't explain anything," Twi said, still skeptical.

"Yes, it does! I bet if you look at the other sides of the border, you'll see it stops there, too!" The two, still skeptical, ran to the other windows of the library. Spike was the first to yell, "You're right, DD! The clouds are contained to Ponyville!"

"That doesn't sound like something Discord would do." Thank you, Captain Obvious, also known as Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn and I then headed out the door to determine just exactly who was causing the rain. I told my friend, "Okay, so we've determined that this isn't Discord. It may be one of those fanatics who actually _liked_ what he did."

"But who in their right mind would step out of the shadows?" The question my friend asked was suddenly answered when she let out a gasp and pointed to something behind me. I turned around, only to gasp at what I saw.

"**_DISCORD!_**" We both screamed at the top of our lungs. We would've been moving faster than Rainbow Dash by now, but we were frozen with fear. The dragonequis put his hands up defensively and said in a voice different than his own, "No, no! Guys, it's me!"

"Look, Discord," Twilight nearly growled at the beast, "some phony-sounding different voice isn't going to hide the fact that you're here in-!"

"Fire Twilight?" I asked, the first to recognize his different voice. The creature nodded his head in response, only for Twilight to gasp, and ask, "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"Just look at my eyes!" The dragonequis got to eye-level with us, and we saw that his eyes were not gold with mismatched red dots, but blue with even black pupils. We were now convinced that this was Fire Twilight. I was the first to ask, "How did this happen?"

"Let's just say the song 'Deer In the Headlights' gives me….ideas about who's singing it."

"Ah," we both exclaimed in realization. You see, Fire Twilight's magic was activated by his dad's songs, and the magic could affect anything surrounding him. Fire-cord then continued, "But its okay, I'm starting to revert back to normal, actually." He then pointed to where Discord's goat hoof usually was, now replaced by Fire's yellow pony leg. I then asked, "So you're the one behind all this chocolate rain?"

"Yes. It seems the song gave me some of Discord's powers as well, and I decided to test them out." The beast's yellow arms returned to Fire's normal hooves, forcing him on all fours.

"But why?" His fillyfriend asked nervously. "Why cause this chaos?"

"Well…" he started, his lizard leg changing back and his body now shortening, "I found his chaos….cool."

"You _WHAT?!_" We screamed in unison again. Twilight explained, "Fire, he tore me away from my best friends, and broke any hope I had left in my heart after that!" I jumped in, and also explained, "He nearly tore my family apart, and he also took any hope I had in my drawing future away!" We then asked together, "So how can you like him?"

"Well, the chocolate rain, cotton candy clouds, soapy roads…it's all fun and games, isn't it?"

"Not if you're slipping and tripping all over them," The purple unicorn grumbled, focusing in on that last one.

"Well, maybe you need a little lesson in skating," Fire-cord pushed us towards the now soapy pathway and as soon as her hooves touched it, she fell flat on her face. Fire-cord extended a hoof to pick his fillyfriend up, and she gladly accepted the help. He clung tight to her and said, "Don't worry; I'll help you as we go." I followed along as Fire-cord began to sing as they went.

_Welcome back,_

_ Chaos once again_

_And put on your warm candy sweater_

_'Cause you'll feel much better when_

_ The chocolate falls_

_Gently to the ground_

_The temperature drops_

_And your shivers foam all the rivers around_

_But I'll keep you warm…_

I then noticed that the road was turning into what felt like a roller derby; skating without no actual end. I assured myself it was all part of the song, and continued to follow the skating couple.

_If speed's a pro_

_Inertia must be a con_

_'Cause the cold wind blows at precise rates _

_When I've got my hoof skates on_

_ If all the roads_

_Were paved with soap that wouldn't thin or pop_

_I could skate from Appleloosa _

_To Canterlot, full stop_

_'Cause you keep me warm…_

Fire-cord then let go of his fillyfriend, and she started to skate very well on her own, even starting to pull ahead of Fire-cord. I started to catch up to them both.

_Peer over the edge, can you see me?_

_Rivulets flow from your eyes_

_Paint runs from your mouth like a waterfall,_

_And your lungs crystallize_

_ I'll travel the chaotic tundra_

_I'll brave bunnies and chocolate rain_

_And that's just the tip of the soap bar_

_I'll do whatever it takes to change…_

Soon, all three of us were skating in sync with each other, all of us trying to race foreword, but failing. We laughed at this fact, and all speeded ahead.

_Farewell, harmony of my home_

_Rather skate on the thinnest soap_

_Elements failed us before they froze_

_Discord bit down on all our hope…_

The soapy road stopped as we all slipped off of it. I noticed Fire Twilight was now back to normal, and he and Twilight were holding hooves as they slipped off the soap road.

_Puddles fill up and enfold us_

_As we wait in this chaos storm_

_So we snuggle close in the darkness_

_And keep each other so warm…_

Twilight opened her eyes and got out of the romantic scene, and explained, "Okay, you causing a little chaos is different from Discord causing chaos. Then again, why should I be worrying? It's already starting to move away!" She pointed a hoof to the sky, where the cotton candy clouds were starting to disappear. I asked, surprised, "Did your dad actually write that song?"

"No, I parodied a song my dad wrote for Winter Wrap-Up," Fire Twilight explained. "But, my dad does have a song about a candy-land,"

"Please don't tell me-!" but the purple unicorn's word's stopped cold when she saw her coltfriend's horn glowing and music start to play. She snarked, "Great, just great."

"Oh, come on, Twilight," I said excitedly, "this'll be fun!" We were suddenly transported to a mountain, which was made of…whipped cream? There were bits of fruit here and there, and Fire sang the opening lyrics:

_This is a world of dreams and reverie_

_Where I felt the stars explode around me…_

I then noticed beautiful planets were visible in the sky above us, and incredibly close. Both Twilight and I noticed rumbling, the unicorn mare the first to ask, "What's that noise?" We then screamed as we saw an avalanche of whipped cream coming down at us. We both took the giant pieces of fruit and used them as sleds to get the heck down the mountain.

Unfortunately, the thing was coming down faster than we were able to sled. We ended up getting buried with whipped cream. We looked at each other once we got out, and both laughed. We got another fruit piece sled and headed down the mountain, and then figured we were at a _really_ high altitude, because we were just about to go through…

"Cotton candy clouds?!" Twilight questioned before we went through them, and came back into Ponyville. Our sleds disappeared as Fire finished up the song. The world around us was now normal, showing no signs that candy coated clouds or chocolate rain had ever existed.

"That was awesome!" I exclaimed. Fire Twilight chuckled, "You know, before my dad even wrote that song about Discord, I used to use another song to cause some chaos…"

"Can you please see it?" I asked, too soon for Twi to cover up my mouth. Fire walked through the business area of town as he started to sing.

_Toupee or not toupee, that is the question, _

_It refused to stay, as it all turned gray_

_Oh, William Shakespeare's receding hair  
Please excuse the pun_

_It's hair today, gone tomorrow _

_So be thankful for what precious locks you have  
To pay or not to pay that is the question_

_And by the way I just gotta say_

_Thank the Lord, I'm not going bald  
And if I may quip_

_My curls and I are just like heaven_

_'Cause rest assured, there'll be no parting there  
But should my head get bare_

_Like Friar Tuck or heart chased a swallow_

_It makes me smile 'cause I know just what I'd do  
Yeah, if I had more wigs than I knew what to do with_

_I'd open a second hand store_

_And if you ever went bald, you'd recall it_

_'Cause I'd cleverly call it, 'Rugs from Me to You'_

By the time he was done singing his song, we noticed our manes were gone. Twilight screamed, while I laughed, "Nice spell, Fire!" I soon noticed a few other ponies close by had lost their manes, and the store-front next to us had changed into the one described in the song. Twi actually got mad at us, and decided to spend the rest of the day alone.

Fire Twilight and I spent the rest of the day playing pranks with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash since his songs put me in the mood. The two questioned why the yellow unicorn had stirred up chaos once they'd heard, but he said it was all in fun. Once we were done for the day, Fire took me back home. I explained to him, "You know, one of my favorite artists, Lovely Pencil, created a new style called abstract. It drew the most…surreal images you could think of. She was said to have been influenced by Discord…can you believe that?"

"Yeah, I can believe that," he replied, "because _I _heard she actually had a crush on him." I chuckled at his comment, and watched him as he walked into the night to his house. I went over my desk and decided it was high time I wrote another letter to my parents. I picked up a pencil and wrote:

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ I've realized that sometimes we can do things that shock or that other ponies may not understand. I have learned to accept the things that make us different and to keep an open mind in the face of adversity. And I've also learned some other artists make works that are suppose to shock the viewer…_

_ Just look at Lovely Pencil's work. She saw beauty in almost anything, even the most…chaotic of pieces. I hope I can be like her in my open-mindedness, and you guys can be, too._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Doodledraw_

That night, I secretly went to Canterlot. Then, when I got there, I went into the CanterlotGardens. No guards were on watch, so I was good when I laid down a bunch of (dyed) blue flowers next to Discord's stone prison. I said, almost as if he could listen, "You know, one of my favorite artists, Lovely Pencil, was said to have been inspired by you. So, I gave you these flowers. I may still hate you…but I've been told to keep an open mind. As I walked away, I almost felt as if he whispered in my ear, "_Thank you, my little pony…_"


	14. Planting New Seeds

My friends and I were walking through the streets, and we felt something off about today. Nopony said a word to state that, even Pinkie Pie fell silent, but you could see it. There was only one pony missing from our regular group, Applejack, and we were heading to the Apple family's stand. Unfortunately, Big Macintosh was running the stand. Pinkie came up and greeted, "Hi, Big Mac! Where's AJ?"

"She's taking care of Granny Smith at the hospital," the red stallion explained. I had never personally met Granny Smith, but from what I'd heard from Applebloom, she was one of the founders of Ponyville. Granny Smith was dreadfully ill, and it was good to see AJ willing to take care of her. We all headed to Ponyville's hospital, only to see the orange earth pony walking out, tears in her eyes. I was the first to come up to her and ask, "Hey, AJ. What's wrong?"

She was sobbing so hard, she had to sputter out an answer, "Gr-granny…sh-she…h-hit...the dust…." We all gasped at her words, even Pinkie Pie understanding what she meant. "I…have decided to give 'er a proper funeral…can y'all attend?" We all nodded, even me. We then followed her around as she told Big Mac, who even though strong, was holding back tears. We watched as she told Applebloom, who actually looked confused. I thought as I saw her expression, _She knows what death is, right?_

The funeral was only two days later. Everypony was so sad, not even Pinkie could put the "fun" back in "funeral". Some ponies came up to where Granny Smith lay in her coffin and said a few words. AJ, of course, was the first. She announced, "I never thought this day would come…where I would have to say good-bye to Granny. She was one of the ponies that founded this town, and I don't know if the Zap Apple harvest could happen without her," most of the ponies in the crowd gasped at this, "but I do know one thing: she would've wanted something like this to go out on, some time where everypony she knew and loved could come together and be there for her."

Many more ponies came up onto the front and had a speech prepared. Some friends and acquaintances of the old mare that had survived the years told how well Granny Smith had kept in touch with all of them. Caramel, a farm-hand of Sweet Apple Acres, shared how he accepted to help Granny Smith out on the farm one day got him his cutie mark. Even Big Mac, who was usually soft-spoken came up and said a few short words. The only member of the Apple family who didn't come up when the ceremony was over was Applebloom.

"Hey, are you gonna go up there?" I asked her, since she was sitting right next to me. The teenage mare asked me back, "What am I supposed to say?"

"Just…tell how much you miss Granny Smith, and that you're sure she'll have a happy afterlife, that sort of thing," I tried to explain. She still looked at me confused. There was a bit of bitter silence until Applebloom broke it by saying, "DD?"

"Yes?" I immediately responded.

"….What's this thing called death?" Her words hit me like a brick wall. Never before had I met somepony her age that didn't know what death was. I had learned hard and at a young age, my grandmother only dying at the age of five. How the Apple family had hidden what death was from her for this long was anypony's best guess. And it would have to wait even longer, as I just scruffed up her mane and answered, "Maybe when you're older, 'Bloom."

"But that's what everypony says!" she whined. "AJ won't tell me! Big Mac won't tell me! And my parents…well, AJ told me they left a long time ago." Well, that was as close I was going to get to an answer why. I guessed the Apple siblings wanted Applebloom's parents to tell her about this. Come to think of it, I'd never seen AJ's parents around Sweet Apple Acres.

The days after the ceremony passed slowly. There was no sign of the Apple family members around town, and this worried me. Besides Twilight, Applejack was my other closest friend. I appreciated her honesty and hard work, which contrasted my laid-back look on life.

I came to Sweet Apple Acres a few nights afterwards, only to find Applejack watching the stars. I hopped over the fence, and silently joined her. I then said, "Whatcha thinking about, AJ?" which startled the orange earth pony. She stared at me for the longest while, then, realizing my intentions of being here, sighed, "I'm just thinking about my parents…who they were."

"Yeah, Applebloom mentioned them, and said they left a long time ago. What happened?"

"After…after 'Bloom was born, my parents were needed to help out at another Apple family farm in Hoofington, so they left us. I left for Manehattan a few days later, and when I got back, Granny gave me news that my parents wouldn't be able to make it back. G-Granny Smith was the only real parent figure I ever h-had…" She started to break into tears, and as she got up, continued, "th-that's why I'm gonna leave for Hoofington tomorrow."

"_What?!_" My friends screamed, gathered at Sugarcube Corner the next day as I explained what happened that night. We all immediately ran to Sweet Apple Acres, only to find Applejack coming out the door, saddlebags in tow. Twilight spoke against it first, "Applejack, this is insane!"

"Sorry, but I need to find my parents," she stated, walking away.

"But this is silly!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, only to add on seconds later, "Now, that's ironic…"

"But Pinkie, this is serious! I need to find my parents. You don't know how long they've been gone." She started to walk even further away. After a few minutes of following her, Fluttershy timidly asked, "Is there anything we can convince you to stay here?"

"Maybe if you can perform miracles, because I ain't staying unless you can bring Granny Smith back!" She started to run, and we all followed in hot pursuit. Rainbow Dash, the first one to catch up to her, explained, "Look, I think when Granny Smith told you your parents weren't coming back, it was like you telling us she hit the dust. Face it, _they're dead._" At those words, AJ snapped, and ran off crying. We all gave RD a stern look and she asked, "What? It's probably true!"

I decided to follow the distressed orange earth pony down the road farther, while my friends were busy scolding the rainbow-maned Pegasus. I had to race to catch up, but I found here down the road. I asked her, "Are you going to walk the way to Hoofington?" A bit surprised by my question, she asked, "What'd you say?"

"Are you going to take the train or walk all the way there?"

"I'll probably walk there, stop at Manehattan if my relatives are willing to let me stay after I haven't seen them in forever…"

"Well, are you sure you want to leave just so you can be with your parents?"

"Yes! After Granny Smith, the parents are the only figure I have left." _There it was_, I thought. _There's AJ's stubbornness getting in the way of a conscious decision._ I explained, "Well, you don't have to have somepony to look up to, to do what you do best."

"You have your art heroes, don't you?"

"But most of them are dead! But that doesn't mean they've left a legacy I can reflect on…didn't your granny have that?"

"Yes, she did. She was one of the founders of Ponyville, and tread through the land before it was even a town. She discovered Zap Apples, something that's only found in the EverfreeForest."

"And I bet you can only raise those apples properly, right?"

"Granny Smith told us that it would always be a team effort, and that means all of your family has to help out. Even if it means your extended one." Applejack, now finally making a rash decision, turned around and I followed her. We took the same path back, caught up with our friends, and all headed to Sweet Apple Acres to just hang out.

I was the last to leave, probably because I stayed behind to tell AJ about my experiences with the death of my relatives. I then noticed Applebloom sitting under the stars, much like her sister was last night. I excused myself from me and the orange earth pony's conversation to see what she was doing. Then, I had a brilliant idea, and as I came up to the teenage mare, asked, "So, do you want me to finally tell you what death is?"

"Sure do!" She exclaimed, ears perking up. She then noticed I had a serious expression on my face, and mirrored it as I explained, "Death is…sort of a passing into another world. It's a world where your granny doesn't have a busted, old hip…and she has the most beautiful white wings. But with this amazing new life comes a price: you can't come back to this world, and you must take on extraordinary pain to pass through."

"Do…I have a choice about this passing?"

"No, but once you reach your granny's age, it can strike at any time, and it's not something to be enjoyed. Remember, it brings great pain and destruction."

"I…think I understand," she said, getting up to head back to the house. I then headed home, since it was getting severely late. I then wrote another letter to my parents once I got there.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ Today, over the past few days, I've learned that huge changes can bring huge consequences, and can affect each pony differently. Some may get angry, some may feel depressed, and some may shrug it off, feeling indifference._

_ But changes mean that ponies should band together and help those friends out who have been affected. Some may not even understand the situation they're in, and may need to be told in a special way what's going on._

_ Your loving daughter,_

_ Doodledraw_


	15. More To Your Mark

Everypony was waiting in a line that went out of the bookstore and all the way to Sugarcube Corner. Fly Writer, the celebrated Pegasus writer of _The Harmony Games_, was at the Ponyville Bookstore autographing books. Rainbow Dash, the main one obsessed with the books, was just in front of me. Twilight, the second to Dash's fanfillyness, was just in front of her. They had heard about this for weeks, and had been squealing fanfillies ever since.

I finally took the next spot in line to get mine signed. As the light blue Pegasus went on about her favorite part in front of me, I took a moment to study Fly Writer over. She was a bit shorter than a normal pony, but it could've been a sign of being slightly older. She was a slightly darker shade of blue than the Pegasus in front of her, and had blue hair that was neatly tied back in a bun. She also had red eyes, the kind that if a teacher had them, you'd pay attention.

Now, it was my turn. She looked at the cover before signing it, and asked, "So, is _Losing Laughter _your favorite?"

"Yes, it is. I just love the seen where Pita Bread breaks under pressure. That was just so…detailed of how you broke him."

"Well, I was actually inspired by those two," she pointed a hoof to my two friends who were admiring their autographs, "and their adventures in the Canterlot Labyrinth. Those 'games' really helped me think of a future where harmony is dead, and the only thing keeping that harmony together is the games."

"Ah, I see. So, the books are a blatantly based on those events?"

"Well, inspiration can come from anywhere. And I take it you're a writer as well?" She pointed to the mark on my flank, a pencil and piece of paper. I insisted, "No, no, no! I'm a great drawer, and _that's_ where I got my cutie mark!"

"I think it's time you took a double take at that mark on your flank, honey. Maybe there's more to it than there seems to be." She took a piece of paper and put a number and letter, 2D, on it. "I'll be staying at the Ponyville Inn at this room for the week, so come to me for a professional author's advice."

I went to the library to get some ideas for what to write about, since I thought Mrs. Writer was write. I may actually be good at writing something, since I've had some ideas in the past. I usually lost interest in them or put them off for later. The library was locked, but from a window, I could see Twi was inside. I waved to Spike, who was close to the window, and he responded. He then turned to the unicorn and told her something, and she immediately ran to the door.

"Sorry, DD!" She apologized after opening the door for me. I walked in and she explained, "I wanted some alone time to read the next book in _The Harmony Games _series, _Lies and Loyalty. _I finished it, and got to reading some of my old Physics books." At the mention of old Physics books, I realized some old doodles I did on my Science notes from my school days. They would be perfect for a story.

"Actually, I'm sorry for disrupting you! I just got a brilliant idea! Sorry, got to go!" I ran off, my best friend slightly confused by why I came, and started looking through my own old high school notes. I found a sketch of seven different ponies, each representing a different type of energy. The idea had withered away, but the characters still lived on. I then remembered the story of these characters: Seven rulers, some on friendly terms, others not so much, have been tasked to create the Eternal Energy for their countries. But when a not-so-hidden mole wants darkness and has friends on the dark side, will they be able to make it? I thought it was a good story, but wanted my friend's opinion. I started to write out the story on a piece of paper.

_ A white allicorn stood at the front chair of a big circular table. She wore a dress inspired by the sun, and had a long, red-orange mane. She sighed, for she knew what would happen. Every month, the same leaders of the eight cities would come together, and every month, the same leaders would lash out at each other. _

_ The Finoexes would lash out at the Green-hooves, the Lecktriks with the Netos, and she would find herself arguing with the leader of the Cleaks, Nuclessa. But she found peace with the two peaceful leaders, Canicleas of the Steamponies, and Muse of the Sondwaies. She soon found every leader surrounding her, and she, being a leader to them all, explained, "I want to bring up the most pressing matter of this night's meeting."_

_ "We know, we know," Muse scoffed, waving a dismissing hoof to her. She then continued worriedly, "My vibration magic isn't working. The vibrations won't power anything."_

_ "You're worried about your 'good vibrations'?" Canicleas asked with sarcasm. "My gears are needed to power Steam-Ponyville, which is twice as big as Sonway!" _Great, _the white allicorn thought. _The ones who don't usually fight are fighting!

_ "Well, forget about Steam-Ponyville!" exclaimed Ellic, Pegasus leader of the Lecktriks. "Electric energy is obviously the most powerful! We just had more blackouts this month than in our history!" All of the leaders got in an argument. The white allicorn tried to calm things down in the meeting hall, but it was the leader that was silent that finally restored order._

_"_QUIET!_" yelled Nuclessa, who hadn't contributed to the argument until now. "Our leader, Splendora, is trying to speak. So, everypony, SHUSH!" Splendora, the white allicorn, was the main leader. Nuclessa, a dark green-blue allicorn, told the rest of the leaders, "Splendora has found a great discovery that could revolutionize the way we use fuel forever."_

"Well, what is it?!" Rainbow Dash asked, eager for more. I had asked of her to read the first few chapters I had finished, since she gave the best critique when it came to writing stories, as Twilight had told me. I answered, "You're going to have to read a little bit more to figure that out." She skimmed over the text, saying, "Meeting…meeting…blah, blah, blah…._the Eternal Energy_? Well, what's that?"

"It's a power source made with all their energy combined. It needs to be made at an ancient temple, which they must journey to."

"Will there be any trials or dangers along the way? Because without that, it kind of makes the journey boring."

"Well, they will be going through a wood. I could put in some danger there. It could be the EverfreeForest for all I know."

"By any other name, considering this is a speculative fiction, right?"

"Y-yes, I believe that is the right term for it." I was actually impressed with the light blue Pegasus' knowledge of books, so I wasn't shy to ask, "How do you, of all ponies, know all this stuff?"

"I'm actually kinda a….bookworm…"

"You, a bookworm?" I laughed at it. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. It just strikes me as-!"

"The complete opposite of who I am?" Rainbow guessed. I nodded, and she continued, "Yeah, a lot of ponies are surprised when they find out I read a lot. So, my suggestion is that you give it more action." We agreed I should do that, and then I got to work on the next chapter.

_Splendora led the group through the thick wood, trying to find small trails through the place to get out to the other side. The small specks of moonlight were the only things keeping it from being pitch black in the woods. She explained, "We can't draw any attention to ourselves. Nopony is to use their powers until we get out of the woods, literally."_

_ Everypony in the group silently nodded as they went ahead. Unfortunately, many pairs of yellow eyes were already watching them. The owners of those eyes quickly pounced towards the group, and Splendora alerted them, "Timberwolves! Positions, now!" The two unicorns, Traho and Muse, leapt into action. Muse used a sonic sound-wave to blast the wolves back, but a brave few continued foreword. Traho used his powers of metal attraction to call forth a sword, and sliced through the wooden wolves with ease._

_ Another pack of timberwolves attacked them, and this time the two pegusi, Ellic and Thermos, came to the rescue. Now, they had powers of their own. Thermos had wings that produced great heat, able to catch things on fire with ease. She used this to make the wolves burn, and the sight of the flames made some more of them go away._

_ Ellic's wings surged with unnatural electrical energy, and with this, was able to create a force-field around the group. Splendora put her powers to the ready, but soon asked, "Where's Nuclessa?" The dark green-blue allicorn was walking ahead of the group, slashing her way through the wolves easily. The white allicorn caught up with her, the force-field still around the group, and scolded her, "Nuclessa! You would desert the group for your own safety?!"_

_ "Well, your spells were useful for letting _me _go up ahead," she answered, showing little empathy. Splendora and the rest of the group only stared back in shock. Why was Nuclessa being so mean all of a sudden? Once they were out of the woods, and had chased all the wolves away, Thermos started a fire._

_ As Splendora decided the next route they should take and explained it to the other leaders, Nuclessa slipped away, and found the clearing where she would meet her ally. The mysterious ally came out of the bushes. She looked like an allicorn, but if you were to look closer, you'd notice that she had holes in her hooves and horn, and bug-like wings instead of ones made of feathers. She had short, neon green mane and tail, and nauseously green eyes. The changeling asked, "Why didn't those timberwolves work?! They should've torn the leaders to pieces back in the forest!"_

_ "I am sorry, Princess Metamorphosis," the green-blue allicorn apologized. "The leader's bonds are stronger than I thought. The only way we can stop them from succeeding with the creation of the Eternal Energy is if we stop them as they make it."_

_ "Yes…this is good. If we kill the Energy as it's being created, then they will be so drained of power, we can just stop them on the spot. Then, we can begin the night that never ends. Since Splendora controls the sun, once it sets, the world is ours."_

"This is very nice for your first story," Fly Writer commented. I decided a good friend's critique wouldn't be enough, so I decided to get a professional opinion. "It's an interesting, but somewhat expected plot twist."

"What do you mean, 'somewhat expected'?" I asked, confused by why she thought that.

"Well, you can see that Nuclessa is the anti-hero, someone who isn't quite for the heroes, but also not quite a villain. But, I wouldn't have guessed she was working for somepony else. It's a really interesting twist, and if you put more in there, it will keep the audience glued to their seats!" I nodded, keeping the Pegasus author's words in mind for the next chapter.

_ "Here we are!" Splendora proclaimed with much excitement. "The Energy Temple!" All eight of the group's members raced towards it, all hoping to each gain a part of the Eternal Energy to use for their cities. But one actually still kept her hopes in destroying it._

_ Nuclessa still kept her alliance with the Changelings all this time, though she still kept faithful to the other leaders. She stood her ground whenever they had to defend themselves, and maybe after this, the other leaders would finally appreciate the dark night…_

_ "Come on," Ellic shouted to the allicorn, who was lagging behind. "We have to get this over with before sunset!" _Sunset… _Nuclessa thought, _when my rule over all of the lands begins. _She, of course, would keep the other leaders around as advisors, knowing her new friends would let her keep them around. She hurried to see the spectacle that would activate this energy, and couldn't wait to see it power down._

_ The eight leaders all placed themselves on a symbol that stated which city they ruled over: A plant for the Green-hooves, a gear for the Steamponies, a magnet for the Netos, a music note for the Sondwaies, a fire for the Finoexes, a lighting bolt for the Lecktriks, a sun for the Radites, and a neutron for the Cleaks. Herbie watched as her friends stood there, and then asked, "How to we activate the powers?"_

_ "I-I have no idea," Splendora replied, a bit nervous by her own response. Canicleas then noticed something near where he was standing, stating, "There's a lever in front of my spot, but it's broken. Maybe we can activate the energy if we can just-!"_

_ "Use the metal in your wings," Muse shouted out. "I can manipulate it into the perfect fit for the le-!"_

_ "No! No!" The brown earth pony exclaimed. "These things are very important to me! This is the first great step in letting one individual pony fly without being born a Pegasus!"_

_ "Come on, Canicleas," Thermos insisted, "we all know your wings don't even work. Since these failed, why don't you just move foreword and we use the metal to fix the lever?"_

_ "But-!" Canicleas tried to think up another excuse, but he knew it would prove useless, so he took off the mechanical wings, rendering him a normal earth pony once again, and Muse magically manipulated the metal into the perfect shape for a lever. Muse inserted it, Canicleas pulled it, and the plate the symbols were on started to spin around. All the pony leaders gasped in shock as it moved, and Splendora shouted to Herbie, "Herbie! Pour the elixir you made with those plants from the woods!" _

_ The green earth pony did as was told, pouring the green potion into the gaps of the plate, and the small gaps of the temple filled with the green liquid, all regrouping in the center of the temple to form a bubble of green energy. It was now Canicleas' time to contribute, and threw two gears into the ball of liquid energy. These gears not only made the ball solid, but grow in size as well._

_ The unicorns contributed next to the ever-expanding Eternal Energy. Traho tried pulling in the energy using his magnetic powers, but all it did was add a sense of magnetism to it, him being the only one feeling the force he'd added. Muse then set out a sound-wave to the ball, it now giving out a hum of energy and song._

_ The pegusi now gave their contributions, Thermos blowing the hot air from her wings to the ball. It set the ball aflame, and it still stayed intact, a ring of flame now circling the energy ball. The electricity from Ellic's wings shot straight to the ball since it now had a magnetic force. The ball now crackled with electrical energy and was five times bigger than what it had started out as._

_ "Nuclessa, it is our time to contribute! The power is now strong enough!" Splendora exclaimed, but to her surprise, the green-blue allicorn wasn't even looking at her. The other allicorn said, "No. I won't do this. We can't."_

_ "No! Both allicorns need to do this, as stated in the prophecy."_

_ "I'm sorry, Splendora, but you're on your own." Nuclessa then stepped off of the still rotating platform. The white allicorn, knowing how stubborn the green-blue leader could be, only groaned, "Fine! I can do this by myself!" Her horn started to glow bright white light that shot straight into the core of the energy ball. It started to expand, growing bigger and bigger…_

_ Until the energy burst like a bubble, throwing everypony back from the force. The leaders involved all fainted from the tiresome energy that it took to make the Eternal Energy, leaving only one left standing. Nuclessa made her way to the other allicorn, and chuckled, "Well, I guess this means there's now one leader left standing."_

_ "But…what about the United Energies?" Splendora gasped, still off her hooves from how tiresome it was to make the Eternal Energy._

_ "My friends will be taking over." Suddenly, the white allicorn saw a million black somethings surrounding them just before her eyes closed shut from exhaustion. The green-blue allicorn turned around to see Princess Metamorphosis, who asked her, "Are you sure they are fainted?"_

_ "Yes," Nuclessa explained, looking at the fainted ponies around her, "the energy it took to create the energy should be enough to make sure the light is drained out without a hitch."_

_ "Perfect," the princess laughed at the expense of all the leaders' pain. "Now, we can have a glorious feast…on these bodies of course." As the allicorn heard the changelings around her almost purr with satisfaction, she nervously asked, "Wait, that wasn't part of the plan! The plan was to steal every last bit of sun energy so that it will never rise again, and the night will be truly appreciated."_

_ "No, this is to ensure that nothing happens to make the sun rise. You really want your sister to come to power again?" Nuclessa was this close to snapping when she heard the changelings were going to eat the leaders, now she knew it snapped when the changeling princess threatened her sister's life. Looking at Splendora, she answered, "No…_

_ "But she was better a leader than you will ever be! You always put me second place, never first! The same was with me and my sister our entire lives. Now, I think it's time I stepped up and became first!" Her horn was glistening with a sickingly-sweet green glow, one that kept expanding and expanding. It was now nearly ten times the size the ball of energy that the leaders created was before. The changelings all backed away from her in fear…_

_ Until the green light burst off in all directions, the changelings all being sent away by the blast. Nuclessa looked to her sister, Splendora, still fainted from the earlier blast, just as the sun set. In the dead of night, she saw lights coming from the United Energies, and she knew she had actually saved the light…and created the Eternal Energy all by herself._

"Wow!" Twilight exclaimed, looking over the final copy of my story. I had decided on her to read the final draft, since she would actually be able to read my story without taking sides. "This story is really good. This is speculative fiction, right?"

"Yes," I replied, eager to tell her more. "The base of the story is thattwo new allicorns have created eight states, each representing the eight types of energy. Their energy source is running out, and they must go through a lot of trials and tribulations to make a new one."

"And I would've never expected Splendora and Nuclessa to be sisters! I mean, they're both allicorns, and the rulers of Equestria right now are sisters that are complete opposites as well. But what really comes as the shocker is that Nuclessa is actually strong enough to make the Eternal Energy all by herself! So…are you going to publish this?"

"Actually, I'm deciding to keep it to myself. I'm not too keen on showing my special talent just yet…" That night, I finally got to writing something I was keen on showing to the public eye. Specifically, my parents.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ I have realized over the past week that we are not defined by the mark on our flank, but what we do with that mark. Ponies may have special talents, and not even realize it! It's important to make discoveries and try everything you can; seize the day! It may be the thing that's keeping you from finding out who you truly are._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Doodledraw_


	16. Read It and Weep Redux

Twilight had decided to read to children at the library this weekend, and I decided to tag along. The purple unicorn had told me to come early, and I left my house at around 6. I was just about to walk out the gate when I heard a soft mewing coming from under my picnic table. I looked to see a black tabby cat, who was probably still hiding from the rainstorm last night.

"Hi, little kitty! Do you want to help me and Twi out at the library?" For some reason, the cat instinctively leapt onto my back, and stayed there as we arrived at Twilight's library. I knocked on the door, and Twi immediately came to open it. She greeted, "Hello, DD, and who's your little friend?" She was acknowledging the kitty on my back, and I explained, "This little guy was under my lawn table, so I decided to bring him here until we leave. Is that okay?"

"Sure!" she said excitedly. "I've got some milk in the kitchen he could have, and I'd love to take care of him if you can't find a home for him!"

"Actually, I'm gonna raise him myself, and do you really want a cat around when you have an owl for a pet?" The unicorn, a natural cat-lover, sighed, "You're right. Plus, Spike really hates cats, probably because of Opal." I looked around the library as I asked, "So what do you need my help for?"

"Spike is back in Canterlot helping Rarity with some super secret surprise something….and I need you to help set up for the kids. I'll get the cat some milk while you set some things up." After we made a small spot for the cat, some place out of the way, I helped set up snacks, cleared some stuff out of the room to make way for the crowd, and idly waited for the children to arrive. They soon did after we were done setting up, and I asked her once a crowd of kids had come in, "So, since I'm done setting up, what do you want me to do now?"

"You could always stay here and listen to me read," she replied, now sitting on a stool in front of the kids, book in hoof. I sat in the back behind all the children as Twilight announced, "Alright, kids. Today, I will be reading to you _The Wizard of Oz._" I sighed in the back as the young ponies cheered. I had this so many times, I nearly fell asleep reading it!

I woke up, finding that I had fallen asleep from Twilight reading the story. The library was completely deserted, save for my new pet cat who was in the kitchen. Where was everypony? I could hardly imagine her leaving me here unattended. Maybe she was just outside, I thought, so I pulled open the blinds of the kitchen window…

Only to see a tornado coming straight towards me. I panicked as it came and lifted up the entire tree that was the library, the whole room spinning. I grabbed my precious new pet, and feared for the worst as I blacked out from a crash.

When I awoke, the whole room was sideways. There were bits of sunlight coming through a blinded-back-up window, and I made my way through toppled over furniture and books to the door. The cat was following behind me as I opened up the door to see that I wasn't in Equestria anymore.

It looked like a small village that had cute ornaments all over it. There was a bunch of foals surrounding the scene, as if I were making a scene. I probably was, considering that the tree had just crashed into this town. I started to say, "I-I'm so sorry! There was a tor-!"

"The pink earth pony saved us from the witch!" one of the fillies from the crowd cheered. I then realized what I had done when I saw a pair of back hooves, wearing red ruby slippers. The leader of these foals then stepped forward, who looked like Celestia in a frilly pink dress and a silver crown. She said, "I am Glindestia, the Good Witch of the South, and thank you for crushing the Wicked Witch of the East!"

"I…well, I didn't mean to. Actually, I live far, far away from here in a place called Equestria. Is…there any possible way that you could take me back home?" Suddenly, a small explosion of black smoke signaled somepony else's arrival. It was a black allicorn that could've been Nightmare Moon, but instead of wearing battle armor, she wore a green witch's outfit.

"Not so fast!" She shouted to us, all the foals scared. "As the only remaining Wicked Witch, I'm the rightful owner of those slippers."

"You can't have them!" Glindestia retorted. She then used her horn to place the shoes on me. "You don't deserve that power, and you have no real power in this part of Oz anyway." The white allicorn turned to me and explained, "The slippers will protect you from any danger."

"In this realm!" The Wicked Witch laughed. "That's right…as soon as you leave this town, I'll get you, and you're little cat, too!" I then noticed my black cat was standing right next to me, and that the jet-black allicorn had left as she came: In a small explosion of smoke. Glindestia then finally answered my question, "I'm sorry, dear, but my magic is only limited to the North realm. You must go to the one who's power extends beyond it: The Wizard of Oz!"

"Do you really think he can get me home?"

"Yes, he's an amazing mage, and should be able to send you home! Just follow this yellow path here," she pointed a hoof to the path that led outside of the village, "and you should come to the EmeraldCity! Just show these red slippers to the guards at the gate. They're a status symbol."

Now understanding my situation and mission, I followed the yellow path. After about forever of walking, I came to a corn field, and exhausted, decided to lie next to the fence. I sighed, "It's probably going to be a lot longer before I get to the EmeraldCity."

"For some of us, it's a world away," somepony said. I looked around to find a scarecrow, one that looked like AJ in her Nightmare Night outfit, hanging up on two wooden planks. She greeted, "Howdy!" I, of course, nervously greeted back, "H-hi…you can talk?"

"I'm only smart enough to do that…" she answered, a few crows landing on her arms. "Smart enough to keep these crows away…not so much." The orange mare waved a hoof to scare off the crows again. It worked, but they only came back a moment later. "I'd really like to get off this thing and see the world. You'd think you could get me off of this thing so I can do it?"

"Yeah, sure. I could really use a companion on this quest to see the Wizard, and the cat's not doing it." I started to pull off the nails that were keeping her to the planks, and as soon as I was done, she leapt off the wood and onto the road. She said, "Before I leave off on my own adventure, I'm gonna ask the Wizard for a brain. Just a head stuffed with hay isn't working well on keeping the crows away."

"Well, come on! I need to ask the Wizard to get home, so let's go!" The scarecrow and I went further down the yellow path, until we came to what looked like a unicorn mare made entirely out of tin. We examined it, and Scarecrow asked, "What…is it?"

"Do you think it's alive?" I asked as well, and I got my response when the metal mare mumbled something. "Oi….oll.." I gasped as I realized what she was saying, "She is alive! She just needs oil, because her joints have rusted up!" I then noticed an oil can nearby, grabbed it, and started pouring the oil around her noticeable joints, and she began to creak them.

"Oh!" She exclaimed once all of her joints were unfrozen. "Thank you! I could never be happier that somepony finally helped me!" I casually said, "No problem. How did you get stuck like that, anyway?"

"Rainstorm," was the Tin Mare's only reply. She then asked, staring at both of us, "Where are you folks headed?"

"We're going to the EmeraldCity to get our wishes fulfilled by the Wizard." The silver mare gasped when she heard it. She excitedly asked, "The wizard?! Oh, boy! Can I come with? I just really wish he could teach me the magic of friendship, because I have no heart to learn so myself."

"I'm sure we wouldn't mind one other person," I replied. "Are you okay with that, Scarecrow?"

"I'm fine with it," she answered, looking ahead. "But it looks like we have to go through some scary-looking woods up ahead." Sure enough, she was right. The three of us all went into the woods, and they looked even nastier than the EverfreeForest. The Tin Mare explained, "Before I rusted, I came through these woods. I didn't see it up close, but I think I saw….a manticore…"

"R-really?" I asked nervously. Scarecrow nodded and added, "Yeah, an' I heard there were cockatrices in these woods, not to mention the Ursas Major and Minor."

"So…manticores, cockatrices, and Ursas…" I relayed back. "O-oh my…"

"Manticores," Scarecrow repeated.

"Cockatrices," the Tin Mare nervously said.

"And Ursas," I added.

"Oh my," we all said in perfect unison. Realizing the heart-stopping danger we were in, we all ran through the woods, all chanting, "Manticores, cockatrices, and Ursas, oh my!"

"Manticores, cockatrices, and Ursas, oh my!"

"Manticores, cockatrices, and Ursas, oh my!"

"Manticores, cockatrices, and Ur-!" We then heard a monstrous roar up ahead of the path, and all stopped to see a female manticore in front of us. She looked at my pet cat, who just caught up to us, hungrily, and pounced at it. The black cat moved out of the way just in time, but I still took action. I punched the beast in the face, and scolded, "You big, dumb meanie! You should be ashamed of yourself! Why don't you pick on somepony your own…"

My angry scolding faded as I realized the beast was crying. She could speak, and I realized this when she said, "I…I d-didn't mean to h-hurt your cat, I-I'm just…really hungry, and…" Feeling some empathy, I came to the manticore and told her, "Its okay, you seem like some kind of pacifist if you didn't really want to hurt him..."

"Cowardly," she sobbed, "they call me a coward just because I'm not good at catching prey, and I'm scared of my own shadow…"

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, Sugarcube," Scarecrow bumped into our conversation, "but those are perfectly legit reasons for being called cowardly." I then explained, "Well, maybe you need some courage. We're actually heading to the EmeraldCity to meet the Wizard and I wouldn't mind _another_ traveling companion. So, do you wanna come?"

"Oh, I'd love to!" the Cowardly Manticore said excitedly, coming out from her saddened state. Our now merry band of four happily hopped out of the woods, but my happy face turned to horror the second I saw…

"Poison joke?!" I exclaimed, shocked by the sudden appearance of the blue flowers. "I would've expected them to be in the forest back there, but never out here!" The Tin Mare was quick to reassure me, "Don't worry, I'm sure that as long as we stay on the yellow path and away from the flowers, we'll be safe!"

"And besides," Scarecrow added, "me and the Tin Mare aren't exactly livin'. If the two of you suffer any ill effects, we'll be quick to respond to them, alright?" I nodded, being calmed by their kind words, and told them all, "Alright, guys, I can see the EmeraldCity from here, so let's get through these Celestia-awful flowers and head out!" Everypony cheered as we walked through the path cut through the blue flowers.

"I…I feel f-faint…" I said as we were about half-way through the tremendous overgrowth of poison joke. I saw the Cowardly Manticore was starting to feel their effects to, as she started to yawn. It didn't take another second for me to hit the ground, in a deep sleep. The only thing I could hear was my friend's voices.

"_Oh, no! The poison joke _is _affecting our friends!_"

"_Quick! Get DD onto the Manticore's back!_"

"_Okay, okay! Alright, now we need to get them as far from these things as possible! Then, we can find a safe place for them to breathe it off._"

"_Manticore! How are you holding up?_"

"_I-I'm…s-so….t-tired…._"

"_Keep it up! Keep up! Okay, we're far from the flowers now…DD should be able to breathe it off…_"

"_Hey, she's starting to wake up!_" Scarecrow was right: I was starting to wake up. My eyes fluttered open, and once she saw I was awake, the Tin Mare asked me, "Doodledraw, are you alright?"

"I…I feel a little light-headed, but I think I can walk it off," I answered, and soon asked her myself, "What happened back there?"

"You passed out because of the poison joke. Apparently, you guys were close enough to get infected by them." I soon realized she was right, as I saw Scarecrow trying to coax the Cowardly Manticore back to consciousness.

"Alright, that makes sense. So, how far are we from the EmeraldCity?" I soon got my answer when I looked around and saw the pillars of the beautiful green city just a few yards behind me. Once I found the manticore was ready to go, we all headed to the gates of the city.

"Halt!" a guard at the gates said immediately upon our appearance. "Please state your business before we let you in." We all looked to each other before I finally stepped forward and stated, "I am Doodledraw, and these are my traveling companions. We have come here to visit the Wizard of Oz. I must return to my home, Equestria."

"Nopony sees the Wizard!" He then gasped when he noticed my footwear. "The Wicked Witch of the East's shoes! So you're the one who finally defeated her! Please, go inside! Somepony as famed as you must meet the Wizard!" The gates swung open and we all stepped inside to see the wonder and amazement that was the EmeraldCity. The guard explained, "I will show you to the Wizard immediately. Again, I apologize for being short with you before. I didn't know of your importance."

"Aw, it's okay, Sugarcube," Scarecrow reassured him as we headed for the castle. "You didn't know." The guard stopped at yet another gate that led into the castle, and another guard took us to the Wizard's throne room. This guard explained, "I will leave you to see the Wizard yourself. You will be among the lucky few who have actually seen him in person." As the guard slammed the doors shut, the Tine Mare nervously asked, "What do you think he meant, 'among the lucky few'?"

We suddenly got our answer when a flame burst from the throne in the front. Its voice boomed as it announced, "I AM OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. WHY ARE YOU HERE TO SEE ME?" The great, booming voice had shocked both me and the Cowardly Manticore to our limits, but I stepped foreword and stuttered, "I-I am Doodledraw, the one who d-defeated the Wicked Witch of the East. S-surely, you've heard the news by n-now."

"I HAVE NOT, BUT I DO KNOW HER BRIGHT RUBY SLIPPERS WHEN I SEE THEM. I ALSO KNOW YOU ARE NOT HERE TO BOAST. SO, WHY ARE YOU HERE, DOODLEDRAW?"

"I have come here because my friends and I require your assistance. The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Mare wants a heart, and the Cowardly Manticore requires courage. I need to get back home; I come from a place far away called Equestria."

"HMM, I SEE…WELL, BEFORE I GRANT YOU THESE WISHES, I MUST FIRST ASK SOMETHING OF YOU."

"Well, what is it? I'll do anything just so I can get back home!"

"I NEED YOU…TO KILL THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST."

"What?! But I can't do that…me killing the Wicked Witch of the East before was a sheer darn coincidence! And a lucky one at that!"

"THEN I HOPE IT IS NOT BY SHEER COINCEDENCE THAT YOU KILL THE SECOND ONE." With that, we saw the flame die away and knew that our audience with the Wizard was over. We all went out of the throne room, and Scarecrow nervously asked, "D-do we really have to go up against the other Wicked Witch?"

"Well, I do know one thing: I'm not giving up on getting home. So, it's kill the Wicked Witch or bust!" My friends, motivated by my short, but determined speech, moved foreword. We headed out into the city and found ourselves heading out into a desert. The sun seemed to be setting behind us, but the Tin Mare explained, "The sun setting indicates that we're in the West. The Wicked Witch of the West controls the moon, but refuses to let it set in her realm. The Good Witches raise and set the sun, but the night is moonless."

I nodded, realizing the sense in that, and we continued until the moon was high over our heads, still no sign of the Witch's castle. I told the rest of the team, "Alright, that's it. We're resting for the night…or at least until we don't feel tired anymore." We all agreed it was a good time to stop, and all sat down in the middle of an endless desert. We had all agreed to have Scarecrow on first watch for anything suspicious, and Tin Mare on second since neither of them needed to sleep.

I was just about to nod off to sleep when I heard Scarecrow yell at the top of her lungs, "Shadowbolts! There's thousands of 'em heading straight this way!"

"Wh…what?" I asked, still half-asleep. I jumped out of my half-sleep when I saw the blue and dark-grey pegusi surrounding us. The Scarecrow bucked at a few of them, the Tin Mare used what little magic she had to scare them off and the Cowardly Manticore stayed by my side, nervously shaking. Before I could take a stand for myself, two Shadowbolts got a hold of me and dragged me away into the night sky. I kicked and screamed, drawing the attention of my friends to me being carried away, but one of the Shadowbolts hit me in the face, knocking me out.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" I woke up to see a face I didn't want to: The Wicked Witch of the West was smiling cruelly at me, she being the one that asked the question. She answered it herself. "The little foal who will willingly give up her red ruby slippers to me."

"I will never give you these slippers! They'll protect me from you! Just you wait!" The black allicorn only laughed at my bold statement. She asked, "Haven't you forgotten? Those shoes will only protect you in the South. Which means…" She magically brought over an hourglass, and turned it over, "that when the sand runs to the bottom of the hourglass, so will your time in those boots. Make it count."

She slammed the door on me, and I knew there was no way out. I waited…and waited…and waited for what seemed what forever…until the door was slammed open. Scarecrow, the Tin Mare and the Cowardly Manticore had come to my rescue, wearing makeshift Shadowbolt costumes in an attempt to rescue me. It had worked and I exclaimed, "Thanks for rescuing me! I can't-!"

"Not so fast!" The Wicked Witch came in. Apparently, my friends coming in had broken the hourglass, and the sand was now pouring out on the floor. "Your time is up. Now give me the ruby slippers, and they'll be no tears." I didn't notice it until now, but there was a bucket of water nearby. I walked over to it, the black witch still watching me, and stated, "No! I'll _never_ give them up!" I bucked the bucket onto the witch, leaving her soaking wet.

"Do you really think that a bucket…." her roaring laughter faded as she realized her hooves were dripping away, along with the rest of her body. She screamed, "_No! NO!_ This can't be happening! The dress was supposed to prevent this! I can't be melting! Oh, what a world…" The rest of her screaming dissipated once all that was left was a puddle of black slime. I put on the green hat she used to wear with pride and announced, "Well, guys, I guess we can all get our gifts now!"

We cheered in victory and quickly headed home, I still wearing the hat, and quickly arrived back to the EmeraldCity. We quickly got another audience with the Wizard, and he appeared as a flame, like he did before. He asked, noticing my green hat, "AH, I SEE YOU HAVE DEFEATED BOTH WICKED WITCHES NOW…"

"Yes," I answered, "now can I have my way home?"

"And my brain?" The Scarecrow also asked.

"What about my heart?" The Tin Mare chimed in.

"A-and my courage?" The Cowardly Manticore nervously asked.

"IT…WILL TAKE THREE MONTHS FOR ME TO BRING THIS ALL TOGETHER…" In my rage at the Wizard, I didn't even notice my cat walking away. I yelled, "What?! Three _months?! _I would've expected a few days, but _months?!_ You sir, have crossed the wrong pony!"

"HA! YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT THE GREA-hey! Get out of here, cat!-A-AND POWERFUL WIZARD WILL-get off that lever, cat! No! Don't play with i-!" The Wizard's voice changed from a booming stallion's to a now frantic mare's. There was a "huh?" and "what?" coming from our small group, but why the Wizard's voice had changed soon came to light. My cat pulled a lever, opening the curtains that hid the unicorn that controlled the "Wizard". She had a light blue mane, and striking light blue coat.

"Don't look at me! Don't look at the mare behind the curtain!" She said in fear, trying to hide behind the green curtain once again. The orange scarecrow just pulled it aside to ask her, "You're the Wizard of Oz?"

"She seems to have made this using her magical abilities," the Tin Mare explained, "creating machinery to hide the fact that she can't really use her magic for…well, magic. Am I right?" The blue unicorn took a moment to respond, but soon sighed, "Yes, it's true. I'm a fraud to my whole name."

"So does that mean we won't receive our wishes?" The manticore asked, tears welling up in her eyes. The "Wizard" then looked like she had an idea, and told us, "I'll be right back" and went into a broom closet. She came out holding a box with her magic. She took some items out of the box, and came up to the scarecrow with one of the items: a rolled up piece of paper.

"Though you want a brain, you have already shown your cleverness. You have shown to be clever in tactics when standing up to a few of those Shadowbolts, and for that, I give you a diploma." She took the ribbon that kept the diploma rolled up, and then placed it in the orange mare's hooves. She then moved on to the Tin Mare, grabbing another piece of paper with a seal on it. The metal mare snarked, "Let me guess, another diploma? I don't need one, I already know I'm smart!"

"It's not a diploma. You wanted to have a heart to discover the magic of friendship? Well, you already have. You have shown the will to stand up for your friends and gave that amazing speech to convince the others to go back and save Doodledraw. For that, I give you…" She broke the seal, and unrolled it, showing it was a letter, "a pass into Glindestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!" The tin-plated unicorn held the letter close to her chest and squealed while the "Wizard" moved onto the Cowardly Manticore. The beast shyly asked, "Wh-what do I get, Miss Wizard?" The blue unicorn pulled out a medal.

"This is for your courage. You may not realize it, but you have faced many trials and didn't even run away from them. You even fought a few Shadowbolts and didn't back down. For that, you get a medal of honor." The unicorn pinned it to the Manticore's chest, and then placed herself in front of me. I asked, "Well, how are you going to get me home?"

"I have an idea." We all followed her to a balcony, where a hot air balloon lie deflated. She explained, "This is how I came to Oz. I was shunned by everypony for my illusions, not being able to do real magic. So, I decided to explore the world. My hot air balloon got caught in a storm, and I somehow ended up here. I've patched it up, and since I've now been exposed as a fraud, I think it's best to leave."

"Am I coming with you?" I asked eagerly. The blue mare laughed, stepping into the balloon "Of course! Why do you think I wanted to use this, anyway?" The four of us then helped her inflate the balloon, and get prepared to go off. The Scarecrow, admiring our work, said, "This is beautiful! DD, I hope you have-!" Unfortunately, as the orange mare walked towards me, she stepped off the rope that secured the balloon. In all our haste, we never thought to secure it! The "Wizard" screamed for somepony to help, but even the one with wings in our group was too afraid.

"Great." I said flatly. "Just my luck. I have no means of getting home now. Anypony have other means of getting me home now!?" Suddenly, a bright flash of light called to my answer. It was Glindestia, and everypony bowed when she arrived, even me. I quickly asked, "Glindestia, what are you doing here?"

"I heard about your predicament of still needing a ride home," she explained. "I actually found out today that the combined power of both the Wicked Witch's signature items is enough to grant one wish. Just click together the heels of the shoes!" I did as told, and as I clicked the heels, I said, "I want to go home…"

_"Is she okay?"_

"I want to go home…"

_"DD should be able to wake up now…"_

"I want to go home…"

"_Hey, she's starting to wake up!_"

I opened my eyes to see myself lying on the library floor, Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy surrounding me. I got up on my hooves and told them, "Oh, guys! Twilight, I'm so sorry! I fell asleep during the story, and I had one cool dream! And all you guys were there!" My cat came out of the kitchen, and Twilight giggled, "Looks like your cat and you are one in the same! He drank some milk and went right to sleep!"

Suddenly, Spike came in from his trip to Canterlot, holding a bunch of golden tickets. He announced, "I'm ba—AAAH!" only to get frightened by my cat. "What's this thing doing here!?"

"Spike, meet my new cat, Toothless." Spike grumbled, coming down from the bookshelf he was hiding on, "He doesn't look toothless to me, and I'm glad he's not staying with us…" Before the dragon had left, AJ stopped him and asked, "Whatcha' got in your hand there, Spike?"

"Oh! I almost forgot! Princess Celestia wanted me to give you guys these tickets to the Gala!" Spike handed them all out, leaving one for himself. I explained, "I don't mind not going. I don't really like those really formal parties. Besides, does it really matter to me?"


	17. The Ticket Seeker

"What do you mean, 'this matters to me'?" My friends had all gathered around town square, and had hired me to help them find something. "I already told you that the Gala doesn't concern me."

"But Spike's not awake yet," Twilight explained, "and I didn't want to disturb him with the search. So, I thought that you could help."

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

"We all lost are tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala," Fluttershy chimed in. "We don't have a clue about where they are."

"Unless," Pinkie Pie thought out loud, "you stole our tickets because you didn't want us to leave you alone for a few days!" The pink mare tried to grab me, but her friends kept her back. Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Pinkie! Remember what happened the last time you jumped to unnecessary conclusions?" With that said, the party pony stopped struggling and simply sat down.

"Okay, I'll help," I agreed, though quite reluctantly. "Which one of you lost your ticket first?" Fluttershy raised a nervous hoof, and once I saw it, I said, "Okay, we're going to your cottage first." We did so, leaving the rest of the group behind. Once there, I told the yellow Pegasus, "Tell me everything you did today from the time you had the ticket until you lost it."

"Well, the first thing I did when I got home was feed Angel." We inspected his food bowl, but found nothing. I then asked, a bit nervous, "You don't think he…ate the ticket, did he?"

"Oh, heavens, no! I think that Angel would tell me of that, right, sweetie?" The snow-white bunny gave a nod, and the Pegasus continued on a list of what she did. "I was taking care of a dog Bon-bon wanted to adopt. When she came by to pick it up, I realized the ticket was missing!" Able to put the two events together, and so I asked, "Did this dog wear a collar by any chance?"

"Yes, yes he did."

"Fluttershy, I think I may know where your ticket is." We then headed off to where Bon-bon lived, a simple house that I know she shared with Lyra Heartstrings. We knocked on the door, and the yellow earth pony came to the door and asked, "This is about the dog I bought from you, isn't it?" We both nodded, and she responded by telling us, "Come in."

I noticed Lyra sitting on the couch, reading a book called _Using Hooves as Hands: How to Use it to Your Best Benefit _as we came into Bon-bon's room. It was neat, and dare I say it, girly. The only thing out of place with the theme of the room was a beagle, which was sleeping soundly in a pink dog-bed. The owner of the dog explained, "I found the ticket in her collar, and wondered if it was yours, and now that you're here…"

Fluttershy grabbed the ticket out from the dog's collar, trying not to wake her up. Bon-bon giggled, continuing her sentence, "I know it belongs to you." I then moved onto the next pony who required me to find their ticket, Rainbow Dash.

The blue Pegasus took me up to her home in the skies, and explained to me, "I was addressing envelopes for some stuff I needed to send out. I didn't realize the ticket was missing until I mailed everything off."

"Well, I think I see where your ticket went," I explained, seeing the writing on the wall.

"Where is it?!"

"You shipped it off with the rest of your mail!" The pegasus facehoofed as she realized what she had done, exclaiming, "Stupid! I'll probably never see it again, considering who's in charge of the mail service!" Suddenly, we heard somepony come in. We saw that it was Spike, who explained, "Twilight sent me up here in her hot air balloon to see if you needed any help solving the case."

"Well, we just solved it," RD stated grumpily. "It was my own stupidity that did it! I'll never get a new ticket now!"

"Actually, I still have my ticket," the dragon chimed in. "I don't really need to go. All I did last time was eat donuts out of misery…" the Pegasus flew down to where Spike was and replied, "Sure! There's no hope in getting my ticket back now! And if you're going to have a miserable time…why not?" We then went down from Rainbow Dash's cloud home and I went onto the next pony that lost her ticket: Applejack.

"I took the ticket home," AJ explained as we walked to Sweet Apple Acres, "and Apple Bloom needed help with one of her homework assignments. I'm no good at those fancy mathematics, but I did my best. It wasn't until I got to bed last night until I realized the ticket was missing. I searched everywhere, but couldn't find a thing!"

"Are you positive that you've searched everywhere?" I asked, a bit skeptical. The orange cowpony stuttered, "O-okay, maybe not everywhere. My sister has become very protective of her room and privacy since she's a teenager now. I can't blame her though. I was the same!"

Both realizing this fact, we searched carefully through her room, making sure not to make it look like it'd been touched. Finally, after about a half-hour of thorough searching, I asked, "Wait, did you use a textbook to help her with her math homework?" The orange mare nodded her head, and she quickly gasped, putting two and two together, "That's it! The ticket's bookmarked in her math book!"

We both headed to the schoolhouse, but Applejack stopped us once we got there. She explained, "We can't interrupt my sister's classes."

"Well, when does school let out?"

"Hmm, around 2 o'clock, so we got 15 minutes of waiting to do." After the bell for school to let out had rung, AJ came to see her sister come out of the schoolhouse and gave her a big hug. The teen asked, "Wh-what's this about?"

"Did you happen to find a ticket to the Gala in your backpack this mornin'?" The older, orange sister asked also. The yellow teen mare nodded, answering, "I did. I thought they belonged to you!" She pulled out the Gala ticket from her book bag, and gave to her sister, who gave her another big hug as a thank-you.

I moved onto my next case, which was Pinkie Pie, over at Sugarcube Corner. She started to tell me everything that had happened, "It was last night. I had gotten home from this wild party, and promised the kids, Pumpkin and Pound, I'd have a tea party with them. I knew I had the ticket then because I checked. We decided to make cookies, but I told them that the cookie dough tastes better refrigerated."

"I can totally agree with that," I said, agreeing with her cookie dough comment, "and from that, I think I know where your ticket is." Pinkie nodded, also understanding the situation. We both went downstairs and opened the refrigerator, but to our surprise, the batter bowl was gone!

"Alright, I've got the batter from last night out to make these," we heard Pumpkin Cake say from the other room. The pink mare was the first to respond, and opened the door to the bakeshop to see the yellow unicorn about to serve the cookies to her brother. Not only that, but the earth mare could spot a small piece of gold sticking out of the cookie.

"Put. _The cookie. __**DOWN.**_" Pinkie said before she sped towards the cookie on the plate before Pound Cake could grab it. Pumpkin shouted, "Aunt Pinkie! You could've just taken one from off the plate! They're plenty more!"

"Oh, but you don't understand, Pumpkin," the pink earth mare tried to explain in her defense. "This has a prize in it!" She then devoured the cookie down, revealing a Grand Galloping Gala ticket, although it was covered in cookie crumbs and slightly burnt.

My last reported case was my best friend, Twilight Sparkle. She explained to me as soon as I got to the library, "Spike and I have searched every book I've read last night and this morning. We figured the ticket would be in there, but it's not."

"Did anypony check any books out?" I asked. "After all, this is a library." She thought about it for a moment, and then gasped, "Yes! Somepony did! Lyra checked out a book on using magic to work for you!"

After that was said, we both headed to Bon-bon and Lyra's house once again, and Bon-bon answered the door again. She said upon answering, "Huh, I didn't expect to see you here twice today. So what are you here for this time?" We didn't answer as we found Lyra still on the couch, reading _Using Hooves as Hands: How to Use it to Your Best Benefit_. I told her, "Lyra, I'm sorry to disturb you while you're reading, but there's a Gala ticket in that book and we need it!"

"You mean this one?" she asked, magically taking a golden ticket from off a nearby coffee table. Twilight grabbed it with her magic and let out a stream of "thank-you"s. I headed home that night exhausted from the case of the missing tickets, but caught my second wind, and was able to write a letter.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ Today I learned that you should help your friends with situations, even if they don't matter to you. They may mean a lot to the friend and they may loose something important if not helped. And sometimes, the situation may affect you, even if you don't know it._

_ Your loving daughter,_

_ Doodledraw_


	18. The Real Cutie Mark Chronicles

It was the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. My friends were all geared up in their gowns and ready to go. There was only one small problem, and I was the first to be called about the situation. Applejack came to my house, almost tripping over her dress. She cried out, "DD! Doodledraw!" I helped her by picking up the train of her dress, and asked, "What is it, Applejack?"

"My…regular….foalsitter…canceled on us…" she said, panting from her hurry to get here, "and since…you're the closest friend I know that isn't going…I was wondering if you could watch Applebloom and Scootaloo for tonight."

"Wait…they're teens by now," I pointed out. "Aren't they able to take care of themselves?"

"Well, Applebloom can be a bit naïve for her age, and Scootaloo likes to hang out with them so often, and Celestia only knows they get into when they're alone…" I sighed, "Alright, alright, I'll keep an eye on them. They can't be too much to handle, considering they're nearly adults."

Later, the two teens and I watched our friends go off to the Grand Galliping Gala in a carriage pulled by Big Macintosh. Applebloom shouted, "Hope you have good luck at the Gala, sis!" Scootaloo added, "And don't forget to impress Soarin', Rainbow Dash!" We then headed into my humble home, and the two teens immediately made their way to the couch.

"So, what do you kids wanna do?" I asked. "I heard your friend, Sweetie Belle is coming over after a show she has at a club, but we can think of something to do until then."

"Do you have any craft supplies?" the yellow earth mare asked. "I've always been good with crafts, but never drawin'."

"Well, I've been naturally handy with drawing, but never crafts," I explained, "although I may have some felt. Maybe you girls can do something with that." I checked in the next room's supply closet for anything, and instantly overheard a conversation between the two mares.

"Hey, 'Bloom, we've spent most of our lives knowing each other, right?"

"Yeah. What are you getting at?"

"Well, maybe we can write an entire book about our misadventures in finding our cutie marks as fillies! Believe me, there was a lot!"

"But none of us have writin' talents!" I came back into the room with some felt, paper and pencils, and explained, "Well, maybe I do. Sorry for overhearing your conversation, girls. But, I've taken up writing in the past few weeks, and would be pleased to help you write your story."

"But it can't just be a normal story about our adventures," Applebloom said. "I think some ponies would find that boring."

"Maybe it can be a high-fantasy epic!" Scootaloo announced. "It could take place in the medieval days of Equestria, right after Discord's rule!" We both stared at her, until she explained, "I really get excited about history class. Hehe…"

"Alright," I started, taking out a piece of paper and pencil. "Where does the tale of the Cutie Mark Crusaders start exactly?"

"It probably started with me," the yellow teen chimed up. "I wanted my cutie mark more than anything, and then I met Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were also blank flanks."

"Hey, Scootaloo, maybe since you want this to be high-fantasy, this could be how the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a team of knights, came to form together."

"I like the idea," the orange Pegasus agreed. "Applebloom could be a knight in search of a team in order to defeat a beast or something." I wrote the ideas down that they suggested, and once I had filled the entire page with a good story and characters, we went straight to writing.

_ I walked through the woods, my mind wandering on the events that had past over the last few months. Discord had been sealed away in a stone prison, and two allicorns had risen as rulers. The stuff of legends, some ponies had called it. Once they had been released from his tyrannical rule, they could finally live their own lives again._

_ What had I done in the past few months? Still the same rebellious spirit I was when he was around. Of course, the resistance I had joined and become a co-leader of disbanded, and I went into the world of hunting monsters._

_ Unfortunately, I was no good at it, and many others were more successful than me. Speaking of better and successful, two of the mares who symbolized it walked right past me: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I thought their greed was just something that Discord had done to them, but apparently not._

_ "Well, well, well, if it isn't Applebloom, now co-leader of the loser committee!" Diamond taunted, Silver just nodding along. I had never known the silver mare to be mean, but she was very close friends with the pink leader all her life._

_ "Where have you been, Diamond?" I asked. I knew she hated when I didn't call her by her last name, but she explained anyway, "We just hoarded a dragon's lair while he was asleep. Want to see the cool loot we found?"_

_ "Huh. I didn't suspect you two were also thieves as well as rats." The silver mare gasped as she looked upon her friend to see how she would respond. She only threw off her saddlebag, and said, "Consider this your last payment, _ever._ If you expect even another petty bit from us, you better start showing up to these raids."_

_ "Fine! I don't need you!" I shouted, the two walking away. "I can make my own crusade team without your help!" They just laughed at me, but I knew that with my determination, I could pull it off._

"Awesome! We're finished the first chapter!" Scootaloo announced, looking over the paper. "Where do I come in, then?"

"Well, I was thinking of putting you at a griffin pub up in the skies. It would be in Cloudsdale, but many pegusi would flock there as well." I explained.

"That sounds awesome! I hate to ask of this, but could you make my character a guy?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, you don't really see a lot of females hanging out at pubs, do you?" Suddenly, somepony came in my house. Spike came in, and immediately explained his sudden entrance, "Twi said I should spend the night with you guys. She thinks I'm still too young to take care of myself…"

"Well, you are a baby dragon," 'Bloom stated. Her friend and I nodded in agreement. The dragon sat on a nearby chair and asked, "What are you three up to?"

"We're working on a story," I explained, to which the baby dragon only blew a raspberry to, and complained, "It's probably some girly frou-frou stuff or something." He scoffed, "Like I'd ever be interested in that…" We ignored him and went on with writing the story.

_ I set off to find my band that would become my crusade team. In the past few months, crusade teams became a common and almost note-worthy profession in many towns. Crusade teams were basically knights that helped in towns wherever the call was needed. There was one from every town, and I set to be the one from Everfree Township. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were more like a rookie crusade team, both hailing from the land that was now Canterlot._

_ I took a hot air balloon to the sky-city known as Cloudsdale, where all pegusi hailed from. The unicorn's spell that kept all non-cloud-walkers safe was in full-effect, and I soon came across a griffin pub. The place was filled with tough-looking griffins and pegusi all-around, the only thing that looked close to a woman being the main tender to the pub._

_ I came to her, some eyes falling on me as I did, and asked her, "Is there any pegusi in this bar that would be perfect for a crusading team?" The surly girl griffin answered, "Only one guy," and pointed a claw in the direction of a dimly-lit booth. I could only make an outline of the figure. "He comes here every night, and keeps to himself. You'll be lucky if he even speaks a word to you."_

_ Though nervous, I sat next to him, and noticed his weapon of choice, a sword, was lying on the table. I picked up that for conversation as I asked, "What kind of beautiful weapon is that? A sword, I reckon? I've always wanted a sword, but I got stuck with this." I put my weapon, a double-edged battle axe, right next to his. "My big sister fought using this in the resistance. One day, she stood up to Discord with this thing. She was brave, but a fool to do it. She…she lost her life just so we wouldn't be found out about."_

_ The orange Pegasus grabbed his sword in his mouth. All eyes in the pub were suddenly on him as I realized he meant to fight me. I took my battle axe in mouth as well, a few griffins in the place chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" The Pegasus took the first swing of his weapon. He covered more distance with his weapon than I did with mine, making it easier for him to take me down._

_ The key for me was to get in close, and make sure to hit him down from there. I hid behind a thrown-over table, and waited for him to get close enough. _He was more than close enough, _I thought as I heard his heart beating through the wooden table. I quickly swung the axe into the air, and it hit the Pegasus stallion with a _thunk! _I looked at his body as it laid on the ground, as the pegusi and griffins around me looked as well, everypony inspecting for damage. He quickly picked himself up and finally spoke. "Huh. You must be as good as your sister was! I'm Scootaloo, and if you're offering for me to join a crusading team, consider it done!"_

"Are you guys done with your story yet?" Spike groaned, still sitting at a chair far away from us. "I'm hungry!" I sighed, knowing what a dragon's diet consisted of, "There's some food in the pantry. Help yourself to whatever's in there." The baby dragon left the room and we went back to the story, Scootaloo explaining, "It feels like the story's missing something important…but what?"

Our answer soon came through the door. Sweetie Belle finally showed up and stated, "Sorry I'm late, you guys. The ponies at the club were cheering for an encore, so I gave them what they wanted."

"That's it!" Applebloom pointed to her unicorn friend. "We forgot to include Sweetie Belle in our story!"

"We're writing a fractured retelling of how the Cutie Mark Crusaders came to be," the orange Pegasus explained. "It takes place in this medieval setting, and Applebloom has just met up with Scootaloo to form a crusading team. I don't know where we can fit you into the story, though…"

"I got it!" I gasped, jotting down more notes on more paper. "How about…we fit her in during the cockatrice fight? She can have some musical magic to lull it to sleep."

"A surprise rescue!" The teen Pegasus realized. "I like it!" We went back to our story, I prepared to write a new character in.

_ The Everfree Forest was right near the job we had been assigned for: to find the creature that had turned an innocent filly that had wandered off to stone. It was ruthless, and probably one of the creatures that escaped from Tartarus, like the changelings a few weeks ago._

_ "This is it!" my companion, Scootaloo proclaimed. "The day we finally become recognized as a crusading team!"_

_ "I wonder what this creature will look like," I said as somewhat a reply._

_ "I bet it will be a fearsome creature with three heads that fight all the time and never agree on anything!"_

_ "Scoots, that sounds like something from a horrible knight's story."_

_ "Well, what if this creature looks cute or non-threatening?"_

_ "That sounds even worse than your first guess, Scootaloo!" I noticed my friend looked a bit nervous, and asked, "Are you scared about going on this mission?"_

_ "N-no!" she exclaimed, looking at the things around her in fright. I mocked, "Hey, now I know how to call a chicken! Scootaloo! SCOOTALOO!"_

_ "That isn't how you call a-!" She stopped defending herself when we heard some rustling from the bushes. She then asked, "Wait, do you hear that?" I only nodded, getting my weapon out from my belt. I held the axe in my mouth, ready to attack. It came from a bush, and we both turned to it. Out popped…_

_ The head of a chicken. I laughed, "Hah! Speak of the devil! Look, Scootaloo! It's the perfect match for…" my mocking words fell short when I realized the chicken's head was giving a stone cold glare, and the orange Pegasus was turning to stone! I averted my eyes before the thing could hurt me, and as it came out of the bush, I noticed it had the body of a reptile._

_ This was a cockatrice, definitely a beast from Tartarus. I fled from it, my friend now turned to stone. I presumed this is why the filly went missing: she had met with the creature's gaze and immediately was frozen. It had me cornered to a rock, and there was no way to fight against it. I covered my face with a hoof and prepared for the worst._

_ I heard an arrow whiz by me, and hit something. The cockatrice squawked in fear, and with a _whump! _hit the ground. It was dead, and in the distance, I could see Scootaloo breaking out of the stone. The shooter of the arrow came to me soon after. She was a white unicorn, with a pink-and-light-purple-streaked mane._

_ "Ohmygosh!" She exclaimed, turning to me. "I'm so sorry I almost hit you with the arrow. But I know I'll eat well to—you know what? This thing looks disgusting. I'm not going to eat this." Holding the dead cockatrice with her magic, she threw it over her shoulder. I just had to thank this girl for saving my skin. I said, "Thank you! You have no idea what danger I was-!"_

_ "You were cornered by a cockatrice, who was about to turn you to stone?" The unicorn guessed. I nodded, and she explained, "I've seen these disgusting things walking around before. Abominations to nature, if you ask me."_

_ "Glad we're on the same page," I laughed, my friend Scootaloo finally coming over. The orange Pegasus, immediately knowing who her rescuer was, exclaimed, "We'll give you anything you want, Miss…?"_

_ "Sweetie Belle, and if this is a crusading team, I'd love to join for the money. I'm pretty skilled with the bow since my sister taught me."_

_ "Great!" I said, ready to move foreword and find the lost filly._

"I ate whatever was left in the pantries," Spike said, coming out of the kitchen. He grabbed the rest of our story, a bunch of pages, and looked it over, asking, "Is this your dumb story? I bet it's—!" his eyes widened as he looked over the first page. "Wait, crusade team? And are those your-! _Whoa!_ A cockatrice? I thought those were only myths…"

"We've actually met one," Applebloom said coolly, as if she had seen one yesterday. The dragon looked at the just-completed page and asked, "Can I see you complete this story right now? Th-that is, if you don't mind."

"I'm fine with it," I explained, "Just sit somewhere where you can see the manuscript," and continued to write the last few pages.

_ There we were, standing right in front of the cave of the beast. Sweetie Belle on my right, Scootaloo on my left, we headed into the cavern. We were supposed to face this being with bravery in our hearts, but hidden beneath that mask we put on was fear._

_ It didn't take us long to find the aforementioned dragon's den, filled with many treasures. The white unicorn looked tempted to take them, but I explained to her, "Don't touch anything. Considering the beast that's living here, we don't want to disturb a thing."_

_ Suddenly, the whole room shook as we heard a monstrous roar come from another part of the cave. There were a few tunnels coming to the nest, but I never would've suspected that the beast would come gliding down from above. It was purple, except for its underbelly and spikes, which were green._

"Oh, I get it," Spike growled, looking over the dragon's description. "You put me in as the beast because I've been a jerk this entire night!" I just shrugged off what he had said, and continued.

_ I was the first to make a move. I took my axe and swung it like a boomerang. Unfortunately, it never came back to me, and instead, the dragon swatted it out of the way. I yelled, "Scootaloo! Stab that thing!" and he immediately did as told. Holding the sword it his mouth, he began viciously stabbing the dragon._

_ At his foot. The dragon, no longer seeing us as any serious threat, threw us out of the way. We hit a cave wall, and suffered greatly, feeling much pain from the critical hit. That meant there was only one left standing that could save us._

_ "Sweetie Belle!" I yelled with all my might. "You have to kill this thing." She whimpered, pulling out her bow, "B-but I forgot to make more arrows for today! I only have one left!"_

_ "J-Just do it!" I shouted as loud as I could, before I blacked out, and heard an arrow shoot off._

"Wait a minute," Applebloom said, noticing I was starting to put pencils and pens away. "What happens next?" I answered, starting to turn out the lights, "They killed the dragon, and lived happily ever after."

"But 'happily ever after' is clichéd and sounds boring!" Scootaloo stated, us all agreeing. "How about we make a continuing adventure series for them?"

"That sounds great," I stated, only one light not turned off by now. "How about you start thinking about it tonight at the sleepover?" The girls all nodded and rolled out their sleeping bags, and chatted idly about the next story for _The Real Cutie Mark Crusaders._


	19. The Seven Pony Sins

_ (Disclaimer: This episode of New Friends Forever will not be seen from Doodledraw's perspective, and instead will be viewed from a third person. Again, I do not own any of this. It all belongs to Lauren Faust and Hasbro.)_

"Goodnight, girls!" Pinkie waved to her friends as they went to their separate rooms at the hotel. Rarity had reserved rooms for each of her friends, and the pink earth mare was more than happy to sleep in a room without the whining of the Cakes' two children. _Even though they've grown up fast, they still cry a lot, _she thought as that crossed her mind.

But something also crossed her mind: the thought of food. Ever since her first time at the Grand Galloping Gala, she always toned it down for that night. Even through all that toning down, they still thought of her as a pig for eating any of those fancy h'orderves she could get her hooves on. She tried to change that image tonight, but found it difficult not to find herself staring at the food.

Maybe…she would get something at the buffet in the hotel in the morning. In the mean time, the pink pony would get her rest, her stomach rumbling.

_Pinkie Pie found herself in a completely different place than the dreams she was typically used to. It was devoid of anything, only darkness surrounding her. The pink mare asked herself, "Wh-where am I?" A figure then came out of the shadows and answered, "It is a place of your wildest dreams."_

_ The figure appeared to be Pinkie herself. The only difference between the real one and the reflection was that the reflection had an orange dress to match her tainted-orange eyes. The reflection continued, "I am here to bring you something you've been longing for, for a while now."_

_ "What is it?" The real Pinkie asked, her stomach still growling in her dreams. The reflection only pulled something out from behind her back. It was a cupcake on a silver platter, and Pinkie stared at it in awe. The reflection stated, "This cupcake will only lead you to more…desires and goodies."_

_ "R-Really?!" the pink mare asked excitedly. She then saw an array of treats behind her. She couldn't eat all of that, or could she? She was so hungry, she didn't care! But the real Pinkie didn't shy away from asking, "Will…this dream ever stop if I do eat all this?"_

_ "You know that this is a dream?" The reflection asked. Pinkie nodded and also explained, "I've been aware of what's dream and what's not for, like…ever! I've also found this strange wall that only Lyra and I know about…"_

_ "No matter!" the reflection shouted, showing off the array of food once again. "You don't need Lyra or Bon-bon or any of the others once you're hooked on this."_

_ "But, this is just a dream, meaning none of the food here is real. And if it were…I would never desert my friends for food."_

_ "Oh, well!" the reflection gave up and started to dig into the delicious sweets in front of her. The real pink earth pony watched in both horror and awe as the orange-dressed mare gobbled down everything in site, leaving her face coated with frosting and dress ruined with pastry. Pinkie then went into all-horror as she saw what her reflection reminded her of. She realized this wasn't any normal dream…_

_ It was a nightmare._

Pinkie Pie, the real one, shot up from her nightmare not a second after realizing what had happened: she had been given a choice, whether to be with her friends and starve, or eat forever and never see them again. She got up and drank some water from her nightstand and went back to bed.

"Well, dear? Have you decided?" Rarity asked her Pegasus friend. Fluttershy softly replied, "I…I don't know…" The yellow Pegasus had been given the "difficult" decision of sleeping in a room with her, or with herself. The white unicorn laughed, "Oh, come on! Just sleep with me, you'll be fine!"

"Oh, I really don't want to wake you. I usually get nightmares when I sleep somewhere else. You know what? Maybe I should sleep with you so you'll calm me down if I do-!"

"Fluttershy! Don't make a big deal out of this! Just sleep in your own room, I don't really mind paying a bit extra for another room."

"Y-you have to pay extra? Maybe I should sleep with you." Her face turned red as she realized what she had just said. "I-I mean, not like that!" Her friend held up a white hoof to silence her and exclaimed, "Fluttershy! Just sleep alone! You'll be fine!" The unicorn went to her room and said, "It's not like you're going to go insane from not being able to make this decision!"

_I probably would… _the yellow mare thought as the unicorn closed her room's door. Fluttershy went to her own room and placed herself in bed, thinking back to her first Grand Galloping Gala. She had been angry with the animals, for they didn't draw near to her like the others. Princess Celestia explained afterwards that these animals weren't drawn to ponies like that.

After that night, the Pegasus regretted every minute of it. She regretted any time she was ever angry at her friends. As she fell asleep, she thought to herself, _do they really deserve it?_

_Fluttershy found herself in a dark void, which scared her a little. She covered her face with her hooves and sat down, whimpering. It was only when she heard somepony walk towards her that she got up again. The other pony looked exactly like her, only her eyes and dress were red._

_ "I have come to show you something," the reflection Fluttershy explained to the real one. The yellow Pegasus complied and followed her double, until they stopped around a bunch of orbs. The Pegasus noticed each orb showed her friends calling her names, thinking of her as worthless, and basically belittling her in general._

_ "Wh-why would my friends do this?" the real Pegasus nervously asked. Her reflection angrily answered, "Because you're a weak, pathetic fool! Do you really think they _love _you? Do you really think they _care_ one iota about you and your stupid animals?!"_

_ "Get away from me! Don't tell me things that aren't true!" The yellow Pegasus went back to her huddled position._

_ "Face the facts, dear! You can't be kind forever!"_

_ "But, I have to…it's my destiny. I'm the Element of Kindness."_

_ "Screw destiny!" the reflection shouted. "Here, in your dreams you can get angry at them all you want, and it doesn't matter!"_

_ "It matters to me!" The real yellow Pegasus started to run away, her reflection yelling, "Oh no you don't!" and running after her. The real one didn't know where she was going, but she needed to get out of this bad dream._

_ Scratch that, nightmare._

Fluttershy woke up with a fright. She looked for a mirror in her room to study herself over. She found it quickly, and saw that her eyes still had their teal color, and she wasn't wearing a red dress. She went to her bed and told herself over and over again, "It's just a bad dream, it's just a bad dream…"

Applejack went back to her own room, only to find her friend Rarity had specifically rented an apple-themed room just for her. She lied down on the bed and found it hard to get to sleep. She hadn't even attempted to sell anything that night, and decided to just stay amongst the crowd.

The reason was she didn't want to spoil all those apples last year. Nopony dare try her "country" flavor, even though Rarity had told many of the Canterlot elites the taste of her apple treats. The cowpony tried to stay humble…though it wasn't her specialty. She would show off her roping, quality apples, about anything she could do to prove she was good…

_"Wha—where am I?" Applejack asked herself upon coming to the dark void that was her dream world. She found herself staring at the void that had no end until she saw her reflection, literally. The orange mare that resembled her only had one difference: she was wearing a purple dress that went with her eyes._

_ "I heard you had trouble showin' off," the double said to the original. "So I came here to tell you that you need to show off even more!" The real AJ stared in disbelief as the reflection continued, "Show 'em those ropin' tricks you've been working on constantly! Stuff those delicious apple treats down their throats if you have to!" The real orange mare was this close to agreeing, but the reflection made the mistake of saying, "Heck, you might even need to lie a little just to make sure you're better than the rest."_

_ "Now hold on a minute," the real AJ stopped her duplicate. "I'm not going to lie just to save my pride. And my friends-!" Her reflection scoffed her, and laughed, "Friends? Ha! You know what I see? A bunch of ponies who don't think you're a real Element of Harmony. Tell me, have they lied before, just to save their own hides at the expense of others?"_

_ "Now I know _that _may be the truth, but I'm not going to run away from it. The truth may hurt sometimes, and it may be easier to lie, but it's the honest and humble that win in the end." Her reflection looked at the real one in anger. "Sorry, partner, but I know I'm right."_

Applejack woke up before her reflection even had a chance to boast. The orange mare looked around and said to herself, "I don't know if that was a dream or a horrible take of the future, but I ain't gonna let that happen. I will always keep to my friends no matter what, and remember to keep my pride to a minimum in front of them." With that being said, she went back to bed.

Rainbow Dash was tired after spending all night with the Wonderbolts. After a long time of watching them from afar, she had decided to tour along with them. They didn't mind the occasional fan touring along, and the blue Pegasus was no exception.

But then she got the offer to be with them. She remembered that night so well. It was in Las Pegasus, and it was the last stop on their tour. Another city-in-the-sky, she loved the lights and famed attractions there. One of the main Wonderbolts, Soarin', went off after the show was over to see _Penn and Trixie_. He bumped into RD, and of course, had heard of her Sonic Rainboom. He offered her then and there for her to become a Wonderbolt and join the full-time show that another troupe of Wonderbolts had there. She would've gladly accepted, but there was just one problem:

Las Pegasus was out somewhere between Ponyville and Appleloosa, meaning really, _really _far away from her friends. She couldn't desert her friends, for they needed her. So she politely declined. Then we skip all the way to tonight, where the Pegasus bumped into Soarin' again, who had told everypony about that night. Most ponies understood why she had stayed with her friends, but some didn't. It caused her to think: Wonderbolt, or Element of Harmony? She sighed to herself, "It all seems pointless…" as she fell of to sleep.

_ Rainbow Dash found herself in a dark void. She looked for a sign of anything and saw a small, white dot in the distance. She flew towards it, and it soon revealed itself to be a cloud. She landed on whatever was ground, and yelled, "Hey, anyone up there?" All she heard was snoring, to which she asked again, "Are you even listening to me?!" _

_ Knowing that whoever it was wasn't going to comply any time soon, she flew up to see…herself. It reminded her of the naps she took on the clouds every so often. After she was done gawking at her reflection, she poked it and told her, "Please wake up…" The reflection did this time, and opened her eyes to reveal not orchid eyes, but eyes that matched her coat._

_ "Why did you wake me up?" the duplicate of RD yawned._

_ "Why are you sleeping?" the real RD asked in response. "Shouldn't you be with your friends? You are the Element of Loyalty, after all." The reflection scoffed, "Loyalty, shmoyalty. I've given up on my dreams and there's nopony to stop from destroying Equestria. So, why not get some rest?"_

_ "Because you need to keep those bonds with the Elements close so they'll work, duh! If you don't spend time with your friends, why bother?"_

_ "Oh, come on! Take a few minutes on this comfy cloud!" The reflection forced the real Pegasus onto the cloud, to which she protested, "Hey! This may be comfy, but I'm not liking it!" She kicked her duplicate with her back legs, which sent her flying to the ground. Once RD knew she wouldn't get back up, she laughed, "HA! That proves just how weak you are!" and did a little victory dance in the sky._

The real Rainbow Dash woke up suddenly, not even remembering her dream. She looked around, muttered something about shuffling, and fell back to sleep.

Rarity was the last to arrive to her room, the one the farthest down the hall. She thought about it, and admitted to herself, being the Element of Generosity had its perks, but it also had its downsides. It seemed to her…like she gave too much to her friends, but not enough to herself.

"Generosity feels…unnecessary…" the unicorn said to herself. She then snapped at herself, "No! No, Rarity, you can't think like that. What will the others think?" She then thought to herself, _would they even care? I've been away for so long…no wonder I got jealous at Doodledraw. _Now lying in her bed, she sighed to herself, "I just hope I can work this all out by morning…"

_Rarity found herself in the black void, where she saw her reflection immediately, nose-to-nose with it, in fact. The only difference she saw of the duplicate was she had green eyes and dress. The reflection asked, "Jealous of your friends, I'm guessing?"_

_ "Y-yes," the real Rarity nervously answered. "H-how did you know?"_

_ "Well, I _am_ you. Anyway, to business: your friends have better things than you, and have more talent than you. Fluttershy's better with animals, Pinkie Pie's better at socializing, Applejack's a harder worker, Twilight's more studious than you, and Rainbow Dash is faster than you."_

_ "But none of those pertain to my special talent," the real unicorn pointed out. "If it doesn't pertain to my talent, I don't really care what they do! As long as they still are my friends."_

_ "Well what about when they weren't your friends?"_

_ "What do you even mean by that?"_

_ "When Discord corrupted them? Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy got an attitude adjustment, Applejack ran from the truth for once, Rainbow Dash was saving her hometown, or so she thought, and you got stuck with a big, dumb, rock!"_

_ "You leave that horrible, twisted brute out of this!" The real Rarity screamed, tears in her eyes. "I didn't even know that thing was a rock! And have _you _ever gotten anything out of only being jealous of your friends' things?"_

_ "Doesn't matter! You'll always get the short end of the deal, generous or not! If you cared, you'd _envy_ them!" _

The real Rarity thanked Celestia a thousand times over that she woke up at that moment. She looked around and exclaimed, "Oh, that was the worse possible dream I've ever had!" Though a bit frazzled by her nightmare, the white unicorn got back to sleep a few minutes later.

Twilight Sparkle sat on her bed, a bit restless. She had been thinking about how much fun the Gala was, seeing Celestia and Luna. Luna offered to greet the guests that night, which was a relief to the unicorn. The Princess and Twi spent the entire evening talking, which made the night feel special.

There was just one thing missing: her coltfriend, Fire Twilight. He was back in Ponyville with his father, and though DJ PON-3 was handling the music, she saw no sight of him. She missed him, but the real question she had on her mind was if he missed her!

"I'll just ask him if anything happened when he gets home," the purple unicorn thought out loud, soon going to sleep.

_ Twilight sat in the void that everypony had ended up at. She only saw herself, and it looked like she was staring in a mirror. Only the reflection had blue eyes and a dress to match, and moved when she didn't. The duplicate laughed, "Thinking about your coltfriend?"_

_ "Y-yes," the real purple unicorn nervously replied, backing up a little._

_ "Well, you shouldn't. He's not pleasurable."_

_ "Wh-what are you talking about?"_

_ "The only reason you should have a relationship is to get _pleasure_ out of it. Then, once it's gone, you move onto get more, yes?"_

_ "N-no! That's not how relationships work! Relationships are built on love and honesty, not lust and lies!" She poked a hoof to her reflection's chest. "Whoever taught you that doesn't have enough horse-sense to tell left from right!"_

_ "Are you calling the Princess a liar?" The duplicate chuckled. Twi snapped at that. In under ten seconds, she had her reflection tackled down and was charging up her horn to use the memory spell on her._

The real Twilight Sparkle woke up before the spell was cast in her dream. She looked around, and for about a second, she felt lonely and in need of a good hug. But she didn't need one from just anyone; she needed it from Fire Twilight.

Doodledraw had just spent most of the night listening to the CMC's ideas for their next story. All of them were now fast asleep, even Spike. They were all really good suggestions, and would probably make for a better story than the last. Maybe she could make some money off of…

"Oh, no!" The hot pink mare said to herself. "You're only doing this writing thing because it's fun…right?" She thought about it for a minute, then shrugged, and went to bed, saying, "I'll see if they want some profit out of this idea in the morning…" She quickly fell asleep afterwards.

_Doodledraw found herself in a dark world. She took a few steps around and soon found herself in the presence of somepony who looked like Celestia. The only difference was that her mane was blonde and flowing the wrong way, and her coat was purple. DD gasped, "You're Destiny, ruler of the Dream Realm."_

_ "Ah, so you've heard of me," the allicorn answered, starting to pace around the _

_ "My friend, Spike told me you visited him in a dream, and gave him an offer," the hot pink pony explained._

_ "Yes, and I am here to offer you something. You're friends were able to hold against my temptations, but I'm here to see if you can take them as well."_

_ "Are these temptations good or bad?"_

_ "Oh, they're good…for you. You see, you make a good profit off your prints and portraits, but ponies in town are starting to get bored. Maybe you should put something new on the market. Your stories seem to have depth, and potential."_

_ "Will…it come with a cost? My parents let me move out to make friends in other places, because I only have two real friends back home."_

_ "You…you really think the Elements are your actual friends? The only reason they make friends is because the Princess forces them to!"  
"And it's also because they discovered the magic of how great friendship is! You think you can get through to me because I'm greedy? Well, you can't! This is only a dream, and I know you can make dreams become reality, but they all come with a price! I'm not going to take your offer, Destiny!"_

Doodledraw was thankful she subconsciously woke up at that moment. She was afraid of what Destiny would do if she didn't obey. Even Spike never told her what happened after he made his decision to stay in this reality. Trying not to wake the sleeping younger ones, she made her way to her to her desk and wrote yet another letter to her parents.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ Tonight, I learned that there are many temptations that we will face in our lives. Sometimes, at the moment, they may seem like the best choice. But in the end, they will never win out. You need to stand strong in your hardest moments, and they'll always be a way out._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Doodledraw_


	20. Equestria's Elite Eight- Part One

It was a few days after my friends had gotten back from Canterlot. News had just broken out of a new comic book store in town, and everypony went to see the grand opening. As soon as the doors swung open, ponies flooded in, and I found my friends near the _Batmare _stand. I followed them, finding them deep in discussion.

"I've always been a fan of these," Rainbow Dash started out. "I've always liked the setting, characters, and of course, our fearless hero, Batmare!"

"Are you kidding?" Twilight questioned, pulling a copy off the rack. "The villains are where it's at! My favorite has always been Two-Mane. She has two very contrasting personalities in one body."

"I haven't been one for the villains," Applejack argued. "I've always liked the red-maned Batfilly. That one was always my favorite incarnation of the character. She's full of so much energy, and ready to put up a fight!"

"I think Poison Joke has always been my favorite villain when I was reading them with you, RD," Fluttershy piped up. "She doesn't directly fight the villains, but uses her plants. And she cares so much for the environment."

"I don't know what you guys see in _them!_" Pinkie chimed in, as usual. "Harlequin is where it's at! Though she may be a sidekick to a more serious threat, she always is a good laugh, and she packs a punch with that hammer!"

"Serious?" Fire Twilight joined in on the conversation. "Who said anything about that villain being serious? The Prankster may be a real threat to Gothamville, but he's in no way serious. He takes pranking and jokes to the extreme of them being dangerous! That's why I like him: he's a _comically _serious threat." I found a moment to swoop in, and pulling a copy off the rack, I explained, "My favorite has always been Catstallion. He's so dashing, even when he's a thief, and there is that romance he has with Batmare…"

"Oh, please!" RD scoffed. "That was just a thing from the newest incarnation! Everypony with common sense knows that Batmare is too awesome to need somepony to have a relationship with." Twilight turned to me, as if she had a brilliant idea. She did, and asked, "Hey, Doodledraw, I bet you could make a great comic book!" Backing up a little, I stuttered, "I…I-I don't know…"

"Oh, come on! You said you were going to take up writing, and you're already a great drawer. This would be the perfect chance to combine those both to do this!" She was right; I would be good at making a graphic novel. I told them, "Gotta go!" and ran to the park, hoping there would be a good idea for a superhero there.

"This is impossible!" I groaned, getting no good ideas after an hour of sitting on a park bench. My whole thought process stopped when I saw Twilight sitting on the bench next to me. She had magical abilities that were close to surpassing the Princesses, and a supernatural superhero would be perfect!

I headed back to my house, and started writing a script for the comic. Before I could draw anything, I knew I had to write out a script for how the comic would be laid out. This, I guessed, would be a story of how Twilight's powers came to be, and she needed a rival with…somepony. I'd think of that part later.

_Narrator: The city of Canterlot: A place where crime is on the rise, and the world is in desperate need of a hero. Ever since Nightmare Moon's takeover, night has loomed over the city forever and the ruler has stepped down. But where is this mysterious hero? Perhaps he or she could even still be in school…_

_ (The Canterlot School for Unicorns' cafeteria is packed.)_

_Twilight: ARGH! This mid-term is impossible!_

_ (Zoom in on Trixie and Twilight. Trixie is eating her lunch, while Twilight is taking the rest of her exam.)_

_Trixie: Don't be so stressed about it. You always get good grades. Besides, it's your own fault since you get the advanced exam._

_Twilight: But the magical tests were the easiest. It's just the written test that makes me nervous…_

_ (Trixie sighs, leaving her friend behind to finish the test. Later, Twilight and Trixie come running out of the school, Twilight holding the test with her magic.)_

_Trixie: Are you going to give that to the teacher tomorrow?_

_Twilight: Yep! All ready for tomorrow! (As Trixie walks away, Twi puts the test in her saddlebag, only for the wind to pick up and grab it. Her magic slips and it blows through the wind, leading Twi to run and follow it throughout the city. She finally finds it in an alleyway, and grabs it before it can get away again. The teen mare notices a shadow that looms over her.)_

_Celestia: Leaving so soon?_

_ (The figure comes out of the shadows, showing itself to be an allicorn mare that looks like Princess Celestia, only the same size as a regular pony, and having a pink mane.)_

_Twilight: (gasp) You…you're…_

_Celestia: The former Princess Celestia, yes. My sister has stolen my power, and now only you can defeat her._

_Twilight: How do you know it must be me?_

_Celestia: I have watched your magic from afar. I used to have power like it, long ago when Luna and I were young. Now, that Nightmare Moon has taken over, I have little to no power left. I want you to fight for everypony's freedom._

_Twilight: I… (thinking:) This is a very generous offer. Heck, it's from the pony who probably made most of these spells up. (out loud:) I accept your offer!_

_Celestia: Very good. (narrating while Twilight trains) This training will help you take on the crime that you will face. Unfortunately, you must also hide your identity. Nightmare Moon mustn't know who you are. (done narration, and gives an adult Twilight a costume.) Wear this from now on. Today, you fight crime and start your second life as…Blackbird._

_ (Meanwhile, at Nightmare Moon's Castle, an adult Trixie, who has just graduated from The Canterlot School for Unicorns, comes in.)_

_Trixie: You requested me, your majesty?_

_Nightmare: Yes…it appears my top student has dropped out, and you were second to her._

_Trixie: It's a shame Twilight had to leave. But, why did she, your majesty?_

_Nightmare: I didn't find any good reason for her to drop out, especially with her perfect grades. That is why I need you. I want you to spy on your so-called "friend." If that isn't enough to satisfy you, I'll pay you a handsome reward if you bring her back._

_Trixie: You…have my word, my liege._

_ (Later, Twilight aka Blackbird is overlooking the city with Celestia.)_

_Blackbird: You never told me, in all my years of training, why your sister rose to power._

_Celestia: Ah, I promised myself I'd tell you once you were ready. Well…now you are… (story is told with pictures as she tells it) My sister and I ruled for a few months after a tyrant's reign. She went dark, and was infected by the changelings, leaving only hatred and a hollow shell of her former self. I tried to banish her to the Moon, but I…couldn't will myself to do it. I put her in a magic-proof dungeon, hoping she wouldn't get out. It was only a hundred years ago that she drained my power, leaving me a normal mare, and took over as ruler of Equestria._

_Blackbird: So you've been searching all this time for the perfect pony to become a vigilante for the poor and innocent?_

_Celestia: I have found a hoof-full, but only you have proved the most magical and capable. All others were caught by Nightmare while I was training them._

_ (A siren is heard by both Blackbird and Celestia.)_

_Celestia: Looks like this is your first trial. Put on that hood and mask. And remember, nopony must know who you are._

_ (Blackbird puts her hood over her face and jumps from rooftop to rooftop. Soon, the robbers, a bunch of dragons, have looted a good portion of the jewelry.)_

_Red Dragon: We'll never starve with this much loot! (nudges Spike) Thanks for telling us about this place, kid. I can't believe you were able to get an inside source to here!_

_Spike: W-well, I used to be an assistant to a dress-maker, but...she had other interests…_

_ (Blackbird arrives on the scene, teleporting in.)_

_Blackbird: I don't think she'd like to see you devolve to a life of crime._

_ (The gang of dragons laughs at her.)_

_Red Dragon: Wh-what are you supposed to be?!_

_Blackbird: Your worst nightmare. (She starts chanting something unintelligible, her eyes glowing with light. She then hits the dragons with a bolt of energy, which misses them, but they are still terrified.)_

_Red Dragon: Guys, I think we better run! _

_ (The others quickly nod, and run away, leaving Spike behind. Blackbird offers the baby dragon a hoof, to which he accepts and gets back up on his feet.)_

_Blackbird: We better get out of here; I don't want them thinking you're a thief or anything!_

_Spike: Nopony has ever cared about me before, not even at the Canterlot School for Unicorns._

_Blackbird: Come, let's get you to a nice house._

_ (The two walk away, only to reveal Trixie is watching from afar. The dragons from the raid are there too.)_

_Red Dragon: So that's why you wanted us looting the place? Just so you can spy on this nut-job?_

_Trixie: _Foals!_ That nut-job is my best friend is a disguise! I'll just have to rival her for the glory, and make sure her powers never see the light of day again! (Evil laughter)_

_Narrator: Is Twilight's new identity safe? Will Spike turn from a life of crime once again? Will Trixie threaten Blackbird as the city's hero? Read on to the next issue of _Blackbird_ to find out!_

I had just finished up the script for the first edition when Rainbow Dash came in. She greeted, "Hi, DD, just wondering how the superhero comic was doing."

"It's doing great, actually. I've got my first superhero and a rival to her."

"You know, I was wondering…since I've done some hero work in the past-!"

"You want to be in the comic, don't you?" RD got right next to me, and on her knees, pleaded, "_Please?_ I promise not to be some glory-hog who has, like, a bunch of powers! Just give me flight, and speed, and of course, my Sonic Rainboom!" I laughed, "Of course, of course," and started on the script for my second superhero.

_Narrator: In the eternal night that is Equestria, a new hero arises, one of light. Born in an average Pegasus town of Cloudsdale, this young mare fights for truth, justice, and the good of all ponies! She is…The Spectrum!_

_ (Rainbow Dash comes out of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, after another day of work.)_

_Boss: RD! Good thing I caught you just as you came out!_

_RD: What's the haps, sir?_

_Boss: Actually, I have very bad news. Your division, the Rainbow-Making Studio, is being shut down by the queen. I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but you've been fired._

_ (Her boss leaves, giving RD a lot to think about at home.)_

_Rainbow Dash: I don't get it. Even though it's been eternal night for about a century, the moonlight is enough to give off each individual color when we need them! There must be something more to this than I thought…_

_ (She puts on her Spectrum costume, and flies off to the Weather Factory. When she arrives, she sees her boss talking to a mysterious figure. She overhears their conversation.)_

_Boss: What do you mean, "This isn't enough money to pay"?_

_Gilda: Sorry, but you're going to need more than just _one _bag of bits to pay up._

_Boss: I fired a whole group of workers just to get enough money to pay! Please, just take it!_

_Gilda: You obviously don't know how it works: You give the griffins money and we provide…protection for the company and its workers. If you don't, that protection goes away…with your life._

_ (The Spectrum waits until the griffins have left, and comes in, scaring her boss.)_

_Boss: Oh! Spectrum! I didn't know you were here!_

_The Spectrum: First of all, it's THE Spectrum, and I'm here to help you get out of your run with the Griffin mob._

_Boss: But…they're the only protection I have from Queen Nightmare shutting down this place!_

_ (The Spectrum points a hoof to his chest.)_

_The Spectrum: _I _will protect _any_ place where justice is needed, and that includes this factory. I'll make sure the horrible ruler Nightmare Moon doesn't lay a single hoof on this place, because weather is needed, night or day._

_ (The Spectrum flies off, seeing the griffins in the distance. With her speed, she catches up to them.)_

_The Spectrum: Hey! The owner of the Weather Factory would like me to say something!_

_Gilda: And just what would that be?_

_ (The Spectrum punches her in the face, knocking her unconscious, and sending her falling towards earth.)_

_The Spectrum: He wants his money back! (looks at the other griffins) Anyone else up for hearing a message from my boss?_

_ (The griffins quickly disband, leaving a sack of money falling towards earth, which The Spectrum quickly grabs.)_

_The Spectrum: (laughs) Thought so!_

_Narrator: And once again, the town of Cloudsdale is saved again, thanks to The Spectrum!_

Applejack came in just as I wrote the superhero's name down, and she looked at RD in utter rage. She exclaimed, "Ugh! I thought I would be able to get here before you had a bad idea runnin' in here!" The light blue mare turned her attention to the intruder, and exclaimed back, "Hey! DD thought it was a good idea since I've actually done hero work in the past!"

"'Hero work'? More like publicity stunt! If you remember, I became Mare Do-Well and saved that cart from fallin' off a cliff!" I put myself between the two arguing ponies and shouted, "Girls!" I turned to AJ and explained, "I'll make a superhero for you, a strong-willed, fast-roping pony. Sound good?" The orange mare nodded quickly, and came over to my desk while a still-irritated Rainbow left.

_Narrator: In the darkened town of Ponyville, there lives a generational family of superheroes, each mare of the generation taking on the persona of the Pink Lady, a fierce protector for the city. But when one generation's parents mysteriously disappear, a young mare named Applejack must take on the persona and the creed: the protect all that live in Ponyville, and to keep its citizens pure, truthful, and living in harmony!_

_ (Two mysterious figures bring in a large weapon.)_

_Flim: Is everything on the super-weapon good to go?_

_Flam: Yeah, fire this thing up and see if she arrives. Well take her on in hoof-to-hoof combat when she arrives._

_ (Flim pulls the lever and a part of the machine starts tearing into the side of a building with an axe-like blade. The ponies inside start screaming.)_

_Flim: I thought you said this place was dilapidated!_

_Flam: I say a lot of things._

_ (Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack is gearing up for another long night of being the Pink Lady, her younger sister arguing with her.)_

_AJ: Applebloom, I'm not letting you go with me to watch over the town. You're too young._

_Applebloom: You've been saying that for the past 6 years! I told you, I'm not a baby anymore! I can handle this!_

_AJ: Applebloom…we've been over this before. The first-born mare of each generation takes on the job of being the Pink Lady. Under no accounts must the Pink Lady have a sidekick-!_

_Applebloom: In fear of being discovered, I know. I just really want to help you out. I have a feeling that tonight, you may not be able to handle the heat alone._

_AJ: Sister, I've been able to handle monsters ten times my size, not to mention the Parasprites, so I'm sure I can take whatever I'm thrown tonight._

_ (Applejack puts on her pink hat and mask and goes off to protect the town. Applebloom sighs, and looks off as her older sister runs into the night. Soon, Flim and Flam have taken a good chunk of the building from before out.)_

_Flim: Is this "Pink Lady" going to show up sometime soon?_

_Flam: I hope. I don't want chopping down this building to turn out to be a waste of time._

_ (Pink Lady arrives just as the building is about to fall.)_

_Pink Lady: WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON?!_

_ (Pink Lady runs to the falling building, and with a powerful apple-buck, prevents that part of the building from falling. As ponies cheer from inside, the Pink Lady is almost hit by the mace part of the machine. She quickly pulls out a rope and latches onto the thing before its pulled away, and when it swings back up, she lets go, sending her to be right in-between the two villains.)_

_Pink Lady: Alright, (she starts twirling a rope in the air) which one of y'all should I tie up first?_

_Flim: Well, I don't know, maybe you should tell us which one of those Apples you are out of the ones we _rightly _beat._

_Pink Lady: Wh-what?_

_ (In this moment of confusion, Flam punches her in the head, knocking her out. Meanwhile, back at Sweet Apple Acres, Applebloom and Big Macintosh are waiting for AJ to come back.)_

_Applebloom: Big Mac, I'm worried. Applejack's never stayed out this late before! I just had a feeling something bad was going to happen tonight! I just knew it!_

_Big Mac: Your Granny Smith had the same type of foresight. She called it the "Gitchy," and no matter what, she was always right; Even about her hip getting busted up. Too bad your sister doesn't have it._

_Applebloom: I've gotta save my sister! Something tells me she's in big trouble!_

_ (She quickly takes off a red table sheet and fashions a skirt and mask, and turns her bow into a bandana. She heads off before Big Mac can say a word in his defense. Soon, Pink Lady wakes up, first seeing her two captors.)_

_Pink Lady: What do you want? Why do you think you know my identity?_

_Flim: We were hired by somepony top-secret, saying that you know a mare by the name of Blackbird, isn't that right?_

_Pink Lady: I'm not telling you twins anything!_

_Flam: But…we have you tied up in your own Rope of Truth! It guarantees that you be honest no matter what question we ask!_

_Pink Lady: Ha! Not if that pony is already an honest soul!_

_ (Applebloom is her superhero persona sneaks up to the machine. She looks to see Flim and Flam about to threaten Applejack.)_

_Flim: Well, maybe if you won't tell us, we'll just have to _make _you!_

_ (Applebloom leaps up.)_

_Applebloom: Not if I can help it!_

_ (The two brothers turn around to see her as Pink Lady gasps at seeing her sister.)_

_Flam: And just who are you supposed to be?_

_Applebloom: I'm… (she assesses her outfit over to pick an appropriate name.) …Red Gala! And I'm here to save Pink Lady!_

_ (She kung-fu kicks Flam, knocking him out, and throws a Zap Apple straight into her sister's mouth.)_

_Pink Lady: A Zap Apple! (She takes a bite out of it, and with her new-found strength, pulls the rope apart.) These things are great for getting out of a sticky situation!_

_ (She punches Flim in the face and grabs him by the collar.)_

_Pink Lady: Alright, who's this top-secret source you're supposed to be working for?_

_Flim: We'd never tell! She said she'd slit our throats if we did!_

_ (Pink Lady puts him back down and ties him up with regular rope next to his knocked-out brother.)_

_Red Gala: We're just going to leave them here?_

_Pink Lady: Hopefully, these foals have learned their lesson and will go back to the sorry place they came from._

_ (The two heroes run back to Sweet Apple Acres. After they have left, Trixie comes from behind a building, and climbs the machine to meet up with Flim.)_

_Trixie: You let her escape!?_

_Flim: We couldn't get any information out of her, and those Zap Apples made her strong. Now we kept our end of the deal. Give us our payment!_

_Trixie: I pay you for information, _not _if you do your job or not!_

_ (She leaves, keeping Flim tied up and Flam unconscious.)_

_Narrator: How is Trixie tied in with these events? Why is she employing these villains to do her dirty work? And will she ever find out that Blackbird is her own friend? Find out soon in the next issue of…_The Pink Lady!

Finished with the story, which had a nice tie-in to the Blackbird one, I guided Applejack to the door. A few minutes after I had started a drawing of the three, Spike came in. He greeted, "Hey, Doodledraw."

"Hi, Spike. Why are you here?" I was quick to ask.

"Well, the girls were talking all about how much they liked how you portrayed them in your comic, and I was wondering if I could be in one?" He walked over to my desk as I answered, "Yes, of course! I was actually going to have you be an assistant to Blackbird, Twilight's superhero alter-ego, but I'm sure you can come along for the ride."

"Hey, DD, are you going to make yourself a superhero?"

"What, no! That would be weird. I mean, what power would she have, the ability to draw things into existence? That may be great, but it seems a little…powerful. Even superheroes need weaknesses." After saying that, I began writing a script for Spike's superhero into existence.

_Narrator: In Canterlot, they're rises a hero, Blackbird! With her loyal assistant Spike, they fight the dangers and evils of the city. But, Spike has a haunting past that not even the years can let go. What happened? Who is this dress-maker he used to work for? How does he seem to know Twilight before they met? Find out in _The Secret Origin of Spike!

_ (At Canterlot School for Unicorns, about 15 years ago: Trixie is taking her entrance exam. The teacher rolls in a cart with a dragon egg on it.)_

_Trixie: So all I have to do to be accepted into this school is crack this thing?_

_ (The teacher simply nods, and Trixie fires up her horn, which with a few seconds of focus, cracks it open, showing a cute baby dragon.)_

_Trixie: Aw, he's kinda cute! Do I get to keep him as a pet?_

_Teacher: Sorry, you can't; he belongs to the school. But, look on the bright side, you passed the exam!_

_ (Trixie and the teacher leave the room, the teacher carrying the hatchling on her back. We then skip to a few years later, 5 years to be exact, and find Spike is working for the Royal Messenger Service.)_

_Spike: Let's see…I need to get this note to a Miss Sharp Wit by four…I forget where her room is…_

_ (Spike is so distracted by reading the letter that he bumps into a purple unicorn, who is about 12 at the time.)_

_Spike: Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for you to lose your things!_

_Twilight: No, no! It's completely fine! Just a test to see what I've learned that I need to finish by tomorrow! No worries, kid!_

_Spike: Hey, as long as I don't accidentally burn up the letter, it's okay with me!_

_ (Twi holds out a hoof for Spike to shake.)_

_Twilight: I'm Twilight Sparkle._

_Spike: I'm Spike, Royal Messenger._

_Narrator: The two became fast friends afterwards, but Twilight quickly became caught up in… "important matters" outside of school, and Spike is caught in over his head._

_ (Spike is in the throne room of the castle, Nightmare Moon casting an angry glare at him.)_

_Nightmare: Spike, I'm afraid that you have made fast friends with Twilight Sparkle, probably the most promising student we've had._

_Spike: Yes! I really like hanging out with her once my shift is over and-!_

_ (Nightmare holds up a hoof to silence him.)_

_Nightmare: It is concerning to see you become friends with her, because we fear the sadness of both of you once you'll be taken away._

_Spike: Wait, what?!_

_Nightmare: You realize you will not remain this height forever. You will grow until not even this castle can contain you. That's why we only use _baby _dragons and messenger ponies anymore. I'm sorry, Spike, but…if you want to maintain a friendship with her, you have to quit your job._

_Spike: F...Fine! As long as I can be with her!_

_ (Spike leaves and walks down the corridor to the school._

_Spike: (thinking) I'll never get a job now…nopony would ever hire a dragon to help them…_

_ (Spike bumps into a white unicorn, who drops some of the fabric she's holding once she hits him.)_

_Rarity: Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was headed over the fabric pile and…wow…I've never seen a dragon quite like you before._

_Spike: Yeah, yeah, make fun of the messenger outfit. Like I'll be wearing it for long…_

_Rarity: Why? What happened?_

_Spike: I made friends with this student at the school and they wouldn't let me remain with her because I had to leave my job once I grew older, so I quit._

_Rarity: Well, that's just terrible! Maybe…you could work with me! I could use an extra set of hooves-or claws as the case may be-at my boutique._

_Spike: That sounds great!_

_Narrator: Spike became an assistant to Rarity for many years, helping her out with many assignments. It wasn't until the unicorn went on a solo mission to retrieve rare Ice Diamonds from Scandineighvia that he actually felt useless…_

_ (Spike is at the Canterlot Boutique, pacing worriedly.)_

_Spike: (thinking) I can't believe it…it's been more than a week. Rarity said this trip would take six days at the very most! (out loud) I hope she's okay…_

_ (The door bursts open. Rarity comes in, wearing winter clothes from her hike up the mountains. She takes off a saddlebag filled with gems.)_

_Spike: Oh, good! You brought extras for my sna-!_

_ (Rarity pulls out a hoof to stop him from grabbing them.)_

_Rarity: Sorry, Spike, but…I'm going to need these gems for my next few design projects. I'll be working on these alone._

_Spike: But there's no possible way you can do that! I live here as well as work here._

_Rarity: Spike…I think there's something we need to talk about… You see, I think I realized why the Queen didn't let you stay long, besides your relationship with Twilight. I won't be able to handle you once you become older. I'm sorry, Spike, but…your wings have grown in, and your growing out of your old clothes…I'm sorry, Spike, but I can't handle you anymore._

_ (Spike, in furious silence, leaves the shop. He walks through the endless night, heading towards the castle.)_

_Spike: (thinking) She's right: I'll become a menace as I get older, like all those dragon gangs I hear about. I've been so busy trying to keep up with my job that I completely forgot about Twilight! After all these years, I'll finally get to see her!_

_ (Spike gets to Twilight's dorm room, only to find it locked. In a bout of dragon strength, her knocks down the door, only to find the room empty and the only pony inside being the janitor.)_

_Spike: W-what happened? Where's Twilight?_

_Janitor: Sorry, kid, the unicorn who _did _have this room dropped out just a few days ago. She was a nice girl; shame you just missed her._

_Narrator: With nowhere else to turn to, Spike joins a small dragon raid. With them, he plans to raid a jewelry store where the owner trusts him. It's already too late before the owner realizes it's a trap._

_ (The dragons leave with a good portion of the jewelry.)_

_Red Dragon: We'll never starve with this much loot! (nudges Spike) Thanks for telling us about this place, kid. I can't believe you were able to get an inside source to here!_

_Spike: W-well, I used to be an assistant to a dress-maker, but...she had other interests…_

_ (Blackbird arrives on the scene, teleporting in.)_

_Blackbird: I don't think she'd like to see you devolve to a life of crime._

_ (The gang of dragons laughs at her.)_

_Red Dragon: Wh-what are you supposed to be?!_

_Blackbird: Your worst nightmare. (She starts chanting something unintelligible, her eyes glowing with light. She then hits the dragons with a bolt of energy, which misses them, but they are still terrified.)_

_Red Dragon: Guys, I think we better run! _

_ (The others quickly nod, and run away, leaving Spike behind. Blackbird offers the baby dragon a hoof, to which he accepts and gets back up on his feet.)_

_Blackbird: We better get out of here; I don't want them thinking you're a thief or anything!_

_Spike: Nopony has ever cared about me before, not even at the Canterlot School for Unicorns._

_Blackbird: Come, let's get you to a nice house._

_ (The two walk back to Twilight's new house, and both sit down in the living room.)_

_Blackbird: You know, you remind me of a dragon I used to know as a friend. He was kind, helpful, friendly…he'd hate to see what dragons have come to doing nowadays._

_Spike: Well, I'm sure he didn't mean to devolve to it. I mean, if he had to._

_Blackbird: I feel like I should trust you. No need for this anymore._

_ (She takes off her hood and mask, revealing herself to be Twilight. Spike gasps at the sight.)_

_Spike: Twilight?!_

_Twilight: Spike?!_

_ (The two hug, both starting to tear up)_

_Narrator: After many years of trials and separation, the two will finally become a dynamic duo of both magical and physical strength._

I looked at the sun that was setting in the distance, and told Spike, "I think you should be heading back to the library right about now. Spike looked and nodded. He soon headed out, leaving me to revise some things in the story.

After I looked all four stories over, I started to draw three ponies and a dragon that would be the superhero team of Equestria. It just needed a name. I couldn't think of one, so I headed to bed. I finally thought of something: Equestria's Elite Eight, but realized I was about four short.


	21. Equestria's Elite Eight- Part Two

I woke up the next morning, refreshed and ready to start the day. As I made breakfast, I heard murmurs of ponies from outside. _Strange, _I thought, _there are no festivals this time of year, and the Summer Sun Celebration's coming up, but not to here…_ I quickly gobbled down my breakfast just to see what was going on. I opened my front door to see almost everypony from town standing outside, all anxiously talking about how I was making superheroes.

"There she is!" Derpy pointed me, standing at my door, out to everypony. _My hero, _I snarked in my head. The ponies all came towards me like a flood, but I held up both my fore hooves for them to stop. I shouted to the crowd, "Alright, not all of you can be superheroes! I only need four more! So, if you haven't saved Equestria, _ever_, from certain destruction, go home now!"

Most of the ponies left from that signal, leaving my main friends, a few one-time heroes I had heard about in the newspaper, and Fire Twilight. I then said, "Alright, if you're not an Element of Harmony, go home." The remaining ponies left, leaving my main group of friends, and of course, Fire Twilight. I came to him and asked, "Alright, why are you still here?"

"Because I'm the _coltfriend _of the most important Element of Harmony!"

"Okay, I'll let you off the hook for that. Now let's see…we've got you five, plus Spike and Fire Twilight. That's only eight. Although, Rarity would like some recognition as well…alright, let's start with her." I went into my house, the six ponies following behind me, and started on Rarity's superhero persona.

_Narrator: The Canterlot Boutique has been as busy as ever since the frigid winter has come onto Equestria. Rarity now must find a rare item for an important client: a cave-full of Ice Diamonds. They are only found in one place: The even more frigid mountains of Scandineighvia. The fashonista must make this hike alone, and find the Ice Diamonds herself._

_ (Rarity has reached a high peak, climbing up in fashionably suitable clothes for the weather.)_

_Rarity: I can't believe I've made it to this height. (sighs) The storm's picking up. I should find shelter…_

_ (She spots a nearby cave and walks into it, hoping the storm will let up soon. She walks further in, finding three diamonds that form a triangle, much like her cutie mark.)_

_Rarity: Oh, my…these look like the ones on my flank; fancy that! Good thing I have my pickaxe._

_ (She magically takes the pickaxe out of her saddlebag and picks away at the gems. Once she has removed all three stones, she begins to walk away. Suddenly, there's a cave-in, leaving the unicorn stuck in the cave, but reveals a new way out where the three gemstones used to be. She walks in, and gasps upon finding…)_

_Rarity: The fabled Ice Diamonds from Scandineighvia! Oh, this is an excellent find!_

_ (Rarity grabs one of the Ice Diamonds, but when she touches it, her eyes glow and her horn glows with magic. The Diamonds fill into her saddlebags, and one places itself around her neck, making a necklace. She gently levitates down, and with a blink, her eyes return to normal.)_

_Rarity: Oh, my….I better look for a way out of this rubble. (looks up) There seems to be an opening at the top. If I could just get to-!_

_ (Her horn lights up brilliantly, and creates a path of ice all the way to the top. She nervously goes up the path, which isn't as slippery as she thought. When she reaches the top, she sees the storm has died down and looks at her necklace.)_

_Rarity: This Ice Diamond has blessed me with extraordinary powers, and I shall use them to protect the innocent. But first, I must get home._

_Narrator: The unicorn takes the train home, and sees the opportunity with her new powers to become a superhero. But, she decides she must fire her assistant in order to keep her identity a secret._

_ (The door of the Boutique bursts open. Rarity comes in, wearing winter clothes from her hike up the mountains. She takes off a saddlebag filled with gems.)_

_Spike: Oh, good! You brought extras for my sna-!_

_ (Rarity pulls out a hoof to stop him from grabbing them.)_

_Rarity: Sorry, Spike, but…I'm going to need these gems for my next few design projects. I'll be working on these alone._

_Spike: But there's no possible way you can do that! I live here as well as work here._

_Rarity: Spike…I think there's something we need to talk about… You see, I think I realized why the Queen didn't let you stay long, besides your relationship with Twilight. I won't be able to handle you once you become older. I'm sorry, Spike, but…your wings have grown in, and your growing out of your old clothes…I'm sorry, Spike, but I can't handle you anymore._

_ (Spike, in furious silence, leaves the shop. Rarity stares at the door for a minute before she sighs.)_

_Rarity: I was worried about it, but I'm glad I fired him. I'm sure he'd blab my new secret identity to somepony. Now, I must get to work on an outfit for my new superhero persona._

_(she narrates as she works on the dress) I shall become…Ice Crystal! Protector of Canterlot!_

_ (She looks over the dress and admires it for a moment before laying the outfit down.)_

_Rarity: Too bad I can't link this outfit to the diamond so I can change into it at anytime…_

_ (The Ice Diamond brightly glows, and absorbs the outfit.)_

_Rarity: Well, that was easy. I should wait until something arises before coming to trouble._

_ (Later in the week, Rarity goes to the Gem and Jewelry Store for something to complete the outfit. Suddenly, three Diamond Dogs come in, wearing ski masks and holding sacks.)_

_Small Dog: Give us all your gems, and we won't hurt the dame._

_Rarity: I beg your pardon! I may be a lady…_

_ (She suddenly transforms into Ice Crystal. Luckily, the owner of the shop doesn't see this transformation because he is hiding under the counter.)_

_Ice Crystal: …but I can take care of myself._

_ (The three dogs run, frightened, and Ice Crystal follows after them in hot pursuit. They turn a corner, only to hit a dead end, and Ice Crystal uses this to her advantage.)_

_Ice Crystal: Now, for lack of a better pun, I want you three to…freeze!_

_ (She uses her horn, and with a beam of light, freezes the three foes. She takes the bags they are holding out of the ice, and brings them back to the store owner in mint condition.)_

_Store Owner: Thank you for saving my jewelry! After dragons raided my store last night, I was afraid that I'd run out of inventory. Thank you for saving my store. I didn't catch your name, though._

_Ice Crystal: Just thank the generous, beautiful, Ice Crystal!_

"Alright, who wants to go next?" I turned to look at them all again. Fire Twilight raised a hoof, but I shouted, "No! I think I'm going to save yours for last. You'll be some hero that comes in at the last minute. Does that sound good?" The yellow stallion was frustrated with me at first, but sighed and nodded. I asked the pink mare, "Pinkie, do you have an idea for your superhero persona?"

"Well, I don't know. Give me a minute to think!" She put on a thinking face, and I decided that since she wouldn't probably care, started on Fluttershy's superhero persona.

_Narrator: Born and raised in the Everfree Forest, and raised by the few zebra that live there, a young yellow Pegasus fights for truth and justice for the nearby town of Ponyville. She has taken a name for herself after her love of nature. She is….Fluttershy, the Ever-tamer!_

_ (Fluttershy is sitting with Zecora in her hut.)_

_Fluttershy: It's a shame many of the zebra's live far from here._

_Zecora: They live far from the borders of Equestria. If there are more here, that's what I'm unsure of._

_Fluttershy: I just hope that things will be better in town today._

_Zecora: Remember, when in town, wear a disguise. I want your identity to be true to only the zebras and I._

_ (Fluttershy puts on her Ever-tamer mask and hurries out with her outfit. Soon, she arrives at the city at the height of noon. She notices the town market is empty, however.)_

_Ever-tamer (thinking): Why is the whole place deserted? It's usually packed around this-!_

_Trixie (in the distance): …The Great and Powerful Trixie!_

_ (Fluttershy looks to the sound, and sees probably every citizen of Ponyville gathered around a stage. She politely makes her way through the crowd, right next to Snips and Snails.)_

_Trixie: When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to, but the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and with her awesome magic, vanquished the Ursa Major and sent it back to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest!_

_Snails: Maybe she can do it again, Snips._

_Snips: You and me at the Everfree Forest at eight-thirty._

_ (The two leave, making Ever-tamer suspicious. Later, at night, she follows Snips and Snails deep to the heart of the Everfree Forest.)_

_Ever-tamer (to herself): What are these guys up to?_

_ (She sees them head into a cave, which she herself doesn't go into. She hears screams from inside, and then sees them running out not a moment later. The Ursa Minor follows in slow, but quick pursuit. Ever-tamer soars to the skies.)_

_Ever-tamer: The creature is headed for the marketplace. I need to get there before it does._

_ (Ever-tamer gets in front of the Ursa Minor just as it's about to come foreword.)_

_Ever-tamer: Hey, you!_

_ (The Ursa turns its attention to Ever-tamer, and swipes a claw at her. She gracefully flies to avoid it and lands on its muzzle. The giant bear tries to shake her off, but she holds on tight and never lets go. She looks the Ursa straight in the eye and uses The Stare.)_

_Ever-tamer: You…will leave this town…and never come back….you got it?!_

_ (The Ursa, scared by her epic Stare, nods his head and runs back into the woods. The town ponies cheer for her as she comes flying down to the crowd.)_

_Pony: We must thank you, Ever-tamer._

_Ever-tamer: Your cheers of joy and happiness are the only thanks I need._

_ (The crowd dissipates and Ever-tamer goes to her home, leaving only Trixie, Snips and Snails.)_

_Trixie: You dolts! You were supposed to unleash the Ursa Major to not only ruin this town, but destroy Ever-tamer! She might know the identity of Blackbird…_

"Alright, Pinkie Pie," I turned from the desk again to see what the pink mare had thought of for a superhero. "Have you thought of anything?"

"Well, I did think of this one superhero show that I used to watch as a teenager: Freakazoid! It was my favorite cartoon show when I was that age! It's where this teen colt gets powers from the ponynet!"

"But…" Twilight pointed out, "the ponynet doesn't work like that."

"Relax," I told her, "it's a TV show. Not everything has to be realistic." I then turned to Pinkie. "I'll get started on this character, although…I have no idea what Freakazoid is about."

"Oh! Well, I think I should tell you right off the bat that it's not a serious superhero show. It's a parody, meaning its poking fun at it!"

"Then it's perfect for you, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"But this isn't perfect for me," I said to all of them, turning back to my work. "I'm not very good at writing comedy." I started writing the next story in the series, considering it a parody of a parody.

_ (Pinkamena Diane Pie is sitting at her computer, waiting for the "ponynet" feature on her computer to load.)_

_Narrator: It is yet another bleak night at the Pie household. Pinkamena, or simply, "Diane," is waiting for the newest program on her computer to download.)_

_Diane: Come on! I've been waiting since I got home from school for this to be loaded! This thing must be broken!_

_ (She throws a fist at the computer just as the "ponynet" feature has completed download. She breaks the screen, and a surge of energy goes out, and through her body. This causes half the city of Canterlot's power to go out, and of course, Diane's house. The scene cuts to Pinkie's parents and Blinkie downstairs.)_

_Clyde: (sighs) Blinkie, check up on your sister, okay?_

_ (Blinkie nods and goes upstairs with a lantern. She goes into Diane's room, only to find a bright, blinding light illuminating it. The light dies down and she gasps at the sight. She sees Diane, her mane puffed up and her now in a Freakazoid-like costume, complete with mask.)_

_Blinkie: Diane! You-your mane!_

_Pinkazoid: Yeah! I know, right? It's like this because I just got a giant jolt of electricity that fused my DNA with….wait for it…the ponynet!_

_Blinkie: Shouldn't that have killed you? We need to show Mom and Dad!_

_Pinkazoid: No, we can't! I can fight crime in this new form, and use these newfound ponynet powers to go around at light-speed, track down criminals, and warp reality within my limits! I shall take on the new name of…Pinkazoid!_

_ (Blinkie grabs her sister's hoof.)_

_Blinkie: Yeah, well, "Pinkazoid," you need to change back before somepony sees you. (thinking) I didn't think Diane had her crazy springs until-!_

_ (Pinkazoid's tail starts twitching.)_

_Pinkazoid: There must be a crime happening somewhere in town._

_ (She looks like she's thinking really hard for a second, then gasps.)_

_Pinkazoid: It's at the Symphony Hall! Our sister, Octavia, is playing there tonight! We have to stop the fiend before she nabs my sister! (looks at Blinkie) Er, _other_ sister. (grabs Blinkie's hoof) There's no time to loose!_

_ (With a flash of white light, she speedily runs to the Symphony Hall. By the time they get there, Pinkazoid is in a dress suited for colonial times, Blinkie hiding in the train. Pinkazoid is already at a balcony seat, and is watching for any suspicious characters.)_

_Blinkie (from under the train of the dress): Psst! When can I come out of here? It's stifling!_

_Pinkazoid: I'm waiting to find out what's going to happen! Besides, something bad always happens at the opera…or, symphony hall, in this case._

_ (Pinkazoid watches through opera glasses, and focuses on Octavia, her sister, who is wearing a nice tux and playing her cello. She then notices her sister pulling her bow all the way back, and shoots it like an arrow at a lever. The lever is hit, and sends all her surrounding orchestra members, excluding the conductor, through the floor. The floor raises back up before anyone can do anything about it.)_

_Pinkazoid: Did you see that?! Octavia and the other orchestra members went through a trap door! Which my own sister pulled!_

_Blinkie: Oh, really? Well, I couldn't see because _I'm still hiding under a ridiculously poufy party dress!

_Pinkazoid: Quick! We need to find a way to that lower level, and fast!_

_ (She runs at super-sonic speed, leaving Blinkie behind. She sighs, and proceeds to follow her scatter-brained sister. Meanwhile, the orchestra members, including Octavia, are in the basement of the symphony hall. Octavia cackles, and gets up to the front of the orchestra.)_

_Octavia: Now, I shall lead the orchestra! (pulls out baton.) They told me that it was not my special talent, which I was only meant to follow, not to lead. Well, who's laughing now?_

_ (Pinkazoid's laughter fills the room. She appears next to Octavia.)_

_Pinkazoid: Well, I believe that would be me!_

_Octavia: Who, or what, the heck are you?_

_Pinkazoid: I'm Pinkazoid! And I'll stop you, Octavia. (beat) Why did you do this anyway?_

_Octavia: Look at my cutie mark!_

_Pinkazoid: I'd rather not._

_Octavia: It's a non-descript G-note! Non-descript, as in it could be anything to do with music! Many other ponies have it, and I've decided to utilize _all _the musical talents a pony can possibly do!_

_Pinkazoid: So, you steal an orchestra just so you can prove you can learn more than the rest?_

_Octavia: I know! Brilliant, isn't it?_

_Pinkazoid: Not…really…_

_Octavia: You're right, you're right. You know, this is my first time being a villain, and I don't know much about it._

_Pinkazoid: Actually, this is my first time being the hero, so we're basically on the same page._

_Octavia: Oh, really? So, how's that working out for you?_

_ (Blinkie suddenly comes in, with two cops.)_

_Blinkie: That girl standing up there pony-napped the entire orchestra! Seize her!_

_Cop: The pink one or the grey one?_

_Blinkie: The grey one. (whispers to cop) The pink one may look insane, but she stalled the villain._

_ (Soon, Octavia's in hoof-cuffs, and Pinkazoid leaves the scene in a flash, leaving Blinkie behind once again. Blinkie looks around and sighs, walking home. Later, she comes back into Diane's room, the power back on and her back to normal.)_

_Blinkie: I'm glad to see you back to normal. You scared me with how…exciting this other you was._

_Diane: Well, I think it'd be best if we keep this under wraps. But I just have one question…_

_ (Diane motions to her broken computer.)_

_Diane: How are we going to explain this to Mom and Dad?_

"What do you think?" I asked, giving the script to Pinkie Pie. She skimmed through the pages and commented, "Well, you certainly got my characterization right!" She walked off to read the entire thing as Fire Twilight came up to me and asked, "Alright, now can we get to my story?"

"Hold it. I'm going to place you as a random hero the joins up with all my other superheroes and takes on a superhero persona. Sound good?" The yellow stallion went back to sitting next to his fillyfriend and grumbled to himself. I guess the comic can't appeal to everypony.

_Narrator: Equestria has been in eternal night for a hundred years. The only way ponies survive is by eating "Moon Plants", special plants that do best in moonlight. Avengers from everywhere are rising from the nightmare that is living in these cities. Coincidentally, they all have a common enemy, but only one knows her name: Blackbird. Now, she must unite the Avengers of her world to form the…_Equestria Elite Eight!

_(Blackbird, Spike, The Spectrum, The Pink Lady, Ice Crystal, Ever-tamer, and Pinkazoid all sit around a table. Blackbird takes off her mask.)_

_Twilight: Alright, it's okay here. You can all take off your masks. We're all equals in this room: heroes fighting for a cause._

_ (The Spectrum, The Pink Lady, and Ever-tamer all take off their masks, while Pinkazoid and Ice Crystal power down with bright flashes.)_

_Twilight: The reason I've called you is because there have been common occurrences in our hometowns. All around the same time, and sometimes in the same place, (eyes Diane when she says it) they have been happening._

_Fluttershy: Before we begin, I'd like you all to promise to keep my real identity a secret. I promised myself to be a _secret _protector to Ponyville._

_ (They all nod.)_

_Applejack: Speakin' of Ponyville, where were you when the Flim-Flam Brothers almost chopped that building in half?_

_Fluttershy: I usually handle animals that escape from the Everfree Forest._

_Twilight: Crimes have been happening here as well. Like the dragon raid of the jewelry shop…_

_Rarity: The Diamond Dog's raid of the_ same _jewelry shop…_

_Diane: And my own sister was stealing an orchestra for her own nefarious purposes._

_RD: Not to mention I've been fighting the Griffin Mafia for months now._

_Twilight: It seems no coincidence that these crimes happened around the same time. I believe somepony is out to find not only our secret identities, but also get me!  
Rarity: But why would they want you?_

_Twilight: A few months ago, I met up with an old friend who threatened to rival my acts of heroism. The old friend knew perfectly well who I was…without the mask. I used a memory spell on her, but she still seems to want to find out my secret identity._

_Diane: Well, who is it?_

_Twilight: Her name…is Trixie, and she is working for the queen._

_ (Meanwhile, Trixie is having a meeting with Nightmare Moon.)_

_Trixie: You wanted to see me, your Highness?_

_Nightmare: It is about you finding Twilight and why she has left. You seem sidetracked by being obsessed with finding out Blackbird's secret identity._

_Trixie: Yes. I believe there is some intricate connection between Blackbird and Twilight, but I can't seem to find a solution._

_Nightmare: FOAL! Twilight was Blackbird all along! You've never noticed?_

_Trixie: That…explains a lot, actually. I cannot believe I found out sooner._

_Nightmare: Yes…I would kill her myself, but I have my royal duties to attend to. I will send out my best student, Fire Twilight, to take care of her._

_ (Fire Twilight arrives, and stands right next to Trixie.)_

_Trixie: _What?!_ But I thought I was your top student!_

_Nightmare: Oh, you were. Until this moment. I have the power to expel you, and since you have failed me, after many months, you will be. (turns to Fire) Fire Twilight, make sure to kill Twilight Sparkle, aka Blackbird, quickly. _

_ (He nods, and leaves the throne room. Trixie leaves a bit later, walking in both anger and sadness. Soon, Blackbird, Pinkazoid, and Ice Crystal are walking around, ponies noticing their stroll.)_

_Ice Crystal: So, why are we exposing ourselves like this to the citizens?_

_Pinkazoid: Because…_

_ (A colt with a paper and pen in his mouth comes up to her. She puts her signature with the pen on there while she explains to the girls.)_

_Pinkazoid: We have so many fans, and we're an inspiration for Equestria. We keep the scum of this land off the streets, which encourages ponies to come out, even when its eternal night. _

_ (She finishes signing the paper, re-caps the pen, and gives it all back to the colt.)_

_Blackbird: I'm just glad to see more ponies out like this, you know?_

_Fire Twilight: Sadly, it won't last for long…_

_ (Blackbird sees Fire Twilight, and narrows her eyes at him.)_

_Blackbird: And just why is that?_

_Fire Twilight: My name is Fire Twilight, and I'm sent to get rid of you._

_ (He uses his magic to make a katana appear, and using his hooves, holds it to slash Blackbird. She jumps out of the way just in time, Fire only hitting a box. Ponies clear the scene in terror. Fire slashes the katana, but Ice Crystal has already put up a Crystal force-field.)_

_Ice Crystal: Try it! I'll protect my friend until my body is dead and limp._

_Fire Twilight: What a lovely…_

_ (With a little magic, he slashes through the Crystal force-field, giving Ice Crystal some pain near her horn.)_

_Fire: But absolutely ridiculous sentiment._

_ (Ice Crystal moves out of the way, and Pinkazoid tries to sneak up on Fire. She jumps on him and covers his eyes.)_

_Pinkazoid: Guess who?_

_ (Fire, with his back hooves, bucks Pinkazoid in the stomach, throwing her off. She groans, and falls to the ground.)_

_Fire: I don't _bucking _care!_

_Pinkazoid (weakly): Blackbird…all on your own…_

_Fire: Looks like there's no one to stop you now…_

_ (Meanwhile, somewhere across town, Trixie is sadly and slowly walking through town, depressed by what has happened.)_

_Trixie: Twilight, my best friend…abandoned me…for some stupid hero gig, and I didn't even realize it! And somepony has replaced me, and he's better with magic than me!_

_ (Trixie looks in the jewelry shop window, seeing a sign for "Energy Stones.")_

_Trixie: Ah, energy stones. They're supposed to give unicorn's enhanced powers for a limited amount of time. I wonder…_

_ (She activates her magic, and the stones levitate out of the glass. She makes them circle around her, and she levitates along with the stones into the sky. Beams come from the stones, and her eyes light up.)_

_Trixie (in echo-y legion voice): _Yes…this is what true power feels like…Now I shall be able to eradicate my enemies, starting with that traitor Twilight!

_ (A force-field of blue energy forms around her, and starts killing the grass and plants around it. Back at the ranch, Blackbird has Fire's sword held close to her neck. She tries to force it back with magic, but the magic that's holding it is too strong.)_

_Fire: Not too late to just give up…_

_ (Just as he's about to finish her off, he notices the energy field somewhere off in the distance. He drops his sword, takes a few steps back, and Blackbird just looks at him in confusion.)_

_Fire: What the heck is that?_

_ (Blackbird gets back up on her hooves and sees the anomaly.)_

_Blackbird: I don't know. I've never seen magic of that power._

_Fire: You know, there was a top student before me. Maybe she could pull off something like that._

_Blackbird: What was her name?_

_Fire: Trixie Lulamoon._

_ (Blackbird's eyes widen in both realization and shock.)_

_Blackbird: We have to go stop her! She's as powerful as us, if not even more now!_

_ (Blackbird lends a hoof to a still-down Ice Crystal, and all three run off. Soon, they arrive at the scene, seeing Trixie still surrounded by the stones and the ever-growing energy field. Anything in it is dead, and it's starting to touch nearby buildings.)_

_Blackbird: There's no possible way to defeat her now! She can't even move, so much as speak._

_Trixie: _You three little unicorns think you can stop me? Get ready for a taste of true power!

_(Trixie throws a beam of energy at them. They move out of the way, and the energy beam leaves the spot it hit devoid of life. Blackbird and Fire poke their heads out of their hiding place.)_

_Fire: Well, you were wrong._

_ (Ice Crystal comes out as well, preparing the magic in her horn.)_

_Ice Crystal: I'll defeat her._

_ (She attempts to climb over the box, but Fire Twilight pulls out a hoof to stop her.)_

_Fire: She's too strong for any of us to defeat. It's no hope no—What are you doing, Blackbird?_

_ (The two see Blackbird attempting a spell in front of Trixie. She creates a force-field around herself, and levitates up to Trixie.)_

_Blackbird: _Trixie, listen to me.

_Trixie: _Tw-Twilight?

_Blackbird: _Yes, it's me. Please don't do this. Nopony deserves this.

_ (Blackbird touches her horn to Trixie's, but immediately, they repel each other, sending Blackbird flying out of the energy field.)_

_Trixie: _T-too much power…I can't control it…I'm so sorry, Twilight…

_Blackbird: There has to be another way to try to stop her._

_ (Fire Twilight comes out of his hiding place, and jumps in front of her. He charges up his horn.)_

_Fire Twilight: Perhaps I can stop her…_

_ (He summons a great wind, which makes a tornado of wind. It collides with the energy field, and the electricity is absorbed by it. It soon grabs the stones and Trixie in it. As he stops, Trixie lands on her hooves, but soon faints. Blackbird hugs him.)_

_Blackbird: You saved us all! You probably saved not only us, but all of Equestria!_

_Fire: Th-thank you. You know, I'm not really to keen about killing you now. Maybe I could become part of your superhero team?_

_Blackbird: Perhaps._

_Fire: Don't worry, your secret identity is safe with me._

_ (The three unicorns walk away, and it seems Nightmare Moon was watching from a crystal ball.)_

_Nightmare: I may see you as a threat to the throne, Twilight Sparkle, but I'm in no mood to kill you. It may be worth it if you keep my city crime-free. But if you ever try to overthrow me, you seem a worthy opponent._

"So, Fire Twilight, still think your story's stupid?" I asked, handing the script to him. He skimmed through it, and sighed, "Okay, maybe it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"I really liked mine!" Pinkie Pie jumped in. I glanced at the unfinished drawing of the superheroes, and realized I would have to draw more in order for them to be Equestria's Elite Eight.


	22. Dreams Don't Turn to Dust

The day started out like any other day. I got up, had breakfast, drew some stuff for my friends and myself, and then headed out for the library. It was a nice day, and RD was telling me how her and her pegusi friends were planning this perfect day for months. As I came into the library, Twilight and Spike turned to me in surprise.

"DD!" they both exclaimed and ran to me, both glomping me at the exact same time. I shouted, "Guys! Guys!" and they got off of me, although they had huge smiles on their faces. Twilight said, "We have exciting news!"

"What is it?" I asked, totally oblivious for what was going to happen to me. Spike replied, "You're never going to guess!"

"Um….Rarity's coming here from Canterlot…again."

"Nope," the purple unicorn answered. "It pertains to someone important and that it's happening to you." The dragon nudged her with her shoulder, as if that was too much info, but I still found myself guessing.

"Rainbow Dash wants me to commission another portrait of herself."

They both shook their heads.

"The Princess is coming here yet again for the Summer Sun Celebration."

"DD, the Summer Sun Celebration was a few days ago," Twi mentioned.

"Oh! That's right! I completely forgot! Um…oh! I know! Katy Ponny's coming to perform at the celebration hall!"

They shook their heads again.

"Well then, what is it? Because I am stumped!" Twilight grabbed my hooves in anticipation, and said, "Princess Celestia….wants you to commission a portrait of her!"

"Wh-what?!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it either," Spike agreed. "In all the years the Princess has been…well, the princess, she hasn't had her portrait done!" I facehoofed and moaned, "No, Spike! That's not the problem! The problem is…that _the _Princess Celestia wants _me _to commission a painting of her."

"Still not seeing the problem here."

"It's just that…I'm totally unqualified! This is the ruler of entire Equestria! And Luna will probably want one too! Oh, I totally can't do this!" I ran out of the library and straight home, not wanting to come out ever again.

_I've never felt like this before…_

_Well, maybe that one time…_

_But that was different! Now, after that…_

_I've lost all hope, all faith…_

"Hey, DD! Wake up!"

_I don't wanna…_

"You can't stay super-depressed forever!"

_I want to! And I'm not waking up!_

"Sorry it had to come to this…"

"Gah! What's with the bright light?!" I shouted, just waking up from the depressed sleep I had put myself into. Somepony had come into my house. It was mid-day, and I had all the lights turned off, signifying my sleep. Rainbow Dash had come in and woken me up, shining my desk lamp at my face. After tracking her down and giving her a stern look, I asked, "What do you want?!"

"I heard you were in a slump, so I decided to come over and help you."

"It's not like you've ever been this way before…"

"Oh, I have."

"When was that?"

"Well, facing bullies when you're a kid is very challenging. Facing them when you're an adult is…even harder. I was under pressure, and for once, got stage-fright. It was even worse because Rarity was showing off her Glimmer Wings from this spell Twilight used. Like that helped any with my confidence."

"Heh," I couldn't help but laugh at that little snide comment she made.

"Anyway, Rarity was showing off her wings, but somehow, they burned when they got close to the sun! The Wonderbolts, who were at the competition I was competing in, tried to save her, but got knocked out by her! It was up to me, and my amazing loyalty, to save them. I had to fly faster than I had ever flown before, and in the process…I pulled off a Sonic Rainboom."

"Oh, my gosh! Isn't that the same way all of you got your cutie marks?"

"Yep! Pulled one off as a filly, and another one as a young mare!"

"Well…" I sighed, "this is different. For you, it was a one-time thing. For me, I just sometimes feel…like the weight of the world is on my shoulders."

"I hope that doesn't become a common thing," she explained, heading for the door. "I really like your art." She closed the door shut, but came in a moment later. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Twilight's set up a train ride and everything so you can go to Canterlot. Your meeting with the Princess is the day after tomorrow at three. And don't worry. I'm sure you'll make a fine drawing of Princess Celestia."

Once she had left, I turned the lights back on and dug through a box of old art. I had drawn many of them of the Princess, mostly for school art projects. They were all good, but not perfect. On some of them, I messed up on her cutie mark a few times, the crown and necklace weren't always right, and sometimes, I would even forget her horn and wings completely. I practiced drawing her, and after what seemed like hours, I finally went to sleep. I moaned, "They're not perfect, and never will be…"

"Are you sure you can take care of Toothless?" I asked Pinkie Pie, who was now holding the cat-carrier. She nodded, and questioned, "Are you kidding? This is way better than Gummy! He always teethes on everything and sharpens his claws on the curtains. I'm sure your pet will be much tamer!"

"Do you have all your stuff?" Twilight asked. "You do know where you're going, right?"

"Yes," I responded, "I'm all set to stay at Rarity's house while I'm over there." I got on the train with my luggage, and sat on one seat with my suitcase in hoof and placed on my lap. I waved good-bye to all my friends, but soon realized I was not alone on the train ride.

"You know, you can put your luggage up there," a yellow stallion pointed a hoof to the shelves above me. I exclaimed, "Fire Twilight! What are you doing here?"

"This is my time over at my mom's, remember?"

"Of course, of course. She's part of the elites, and that means she's in Canterlot."

"So why are you here?"

"I was…chosen to commission a portrait of the Princess. Apparently, Twi mentioned me in her letters, and thinks I'm a pretty talented artist."

"That must be a lot of pressure."

"Like you wouldn't believe!"

"Look, it only takes an hour to get there. I'm gonna meet up with my mom. I'll visit you later, okay?" I nodded and spent the rest of the train ride in silence.

I came to Rarity's boutique a few hours later, since it was in the middle of a busy capital city. I entered, and she immediately greeted me.

"Well, hello, Doodledraw." She hugged me immediately, making me drop my luggage. She asked, "Why didn't you come to the Gala with us?"

"The Gala has sort of become second place since I heard your….worse-than worse experiences at your first one."

"Yes, even I try to block out those memories as much as my friends do. It's nice to see you here, though."

"Yeah, but this job is going to be pretty tough."

"DD, you really shouldn't sweat it. I once stayed at CanterlotCastle once, and looking back, both the Princess and I can agree that I may have overdone it on thanking her."

"But that's just the point! You only _stayed._ I have to paint a portrait of the Princess, which will hang in the halls of the castle forever!"

"Doodledraw, as a lady who has gotten stressed out many, many times, I have realized that practice is the only thing that makes you better. Now, I've seen your drawings, and they're very good. Your talents are absolutely worthy of being shown to the Princess." I don't know what it was or why it happened, but something snapped in me. Tears ran down my cheeks as I shouted, "You don't know! My friends will never understand me!" I ran out of the boutique, ponies making way for me as I aimlessly did so.

I stopped at Canterlot Cliff, and sat near the edge, hugging my knees. It was a long while before I heard anypony come by. Finally, somepony did come there. I felt a hoof place itself on my shoulders, and I looked at it. I immediately recognized who it belonged to. Through tears, I said, "Fi-Fire Tw-Twilight….what are you doing here?"

"I heard a friend needed some help," he answered, helping me up with both hooves. "I knew that you were staying over at Rarity's, and when I couldn't find you later, I asked some ponies around if they had spotted you, and from their clues, I found you here." He then looked around and stated, "Actually, this is where I had my first kiss."

"With Twilight, right?"

"No, I mean, my first kiss, _ever._"

"Wow. Had you hoped you would kiss Twi that night?"

"Yeah, I had been dreaming about having my first kiss with her and then, I did."

"I have been dreaming to get an audience with the Princess since I first met the Elements of Harmony. But…I never expected it to be like this. I mean, this is…a dream come true for anypony, but my dreams are crushed by all this anxiety."

"But, Doodledraw…" he activated his magic, and I started to hear music. "Dreams can never be crushed. From his horn came a rush of colors, and a beautiful day-scene, despite it being night, surrounded it. I don't know if it was the spell or the environment, but I just felt…care-free.

I looked up at the sky, and saw that there were stars, despite it being daytime. I went into a nearby wood, and Fire followed me. We soon came upon a small, natural garden of apples and raspberries. We walked further, and soon found a beautiful royal-blue river. We crossed it. While I looked around some more, the playful stallion pulled me into a thick area of vines and lovely ivy. I tried to follow him as best I could, but it proved difficult considering how thick the ivy was. We soon made our way out, and we were back to the real world, closer to the city.

"There," he stated. "That proves that dreams can never be crushed because they are endless, and will last for all of time." Somehow, though I didn't know how the scene related to that, I felt peace in his words and was rest-assured that dreams don't turn to dust.

I got back to the boutique, explained myself to Rarity, said I was sorry to her, and went to my guest bedroom. I stared at the ceiling of my room for hours, humming the interlude to whatever song Fire Twilight had "played" for me and slowly fell asleep to that.

I headed over to CanterlotCastle with the pride I could do this, and the confidence as well. I looked at the note Twilight had given me about how this thing was going to go, and said to myself, "Twilight said her big brother was going to meet me at the gates so their wouldn't be any confusion with the guards at the gate."

I soon made it to the gates of the castle, and a white unicorn wearing fancier guard armor came up to me. I looked at him, and said, "Shining Armor, I presume."

"And you must be Twilie's friend," the guard greeted. He escorted me down the halls until we met up with a pink allicorn with gold, pink and purple in her mane. Shining came up to her and kissed her, then stated, "Doodledraw, this is my wife, Cadence." I bowed a little, knowing she was royalty, and said, "It's nice to meet you."

"Please, there's no need to bow," she laughed. "The princess title is really just a status symbol. It doesn't mean anything." We moved on, and proceeded to the throne room. I gasped, bowing, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, it is an honor to meet you two."

"Thank you for your time, Doodledraw." The white allicorn stepped down from her throne, but she tripped, her sister narrowly catching her.

"It's okay," Luna stated, helping her sister up.

"What's wrong?" I asked nervously. Celestia cleared her throat and replied, "Actually, Doodledraw, there is something I want to speak to you about before we get started on my portrait." She walked out of the room, and I followed, Luna coming up behind me. We walked through a corridor, to a small shrine that was set up. Two portraits of allicorns, one that was a female with a long teal mane, and one that was of a male, who had a navy blue coat and a purple mane.

"These are our ancestors," Celestia explained, "from the first flag of Equestria. They were taken to be rulers, since they had qualities of all three species of ponies."

"They ruled before the Age of Discord," Luna continued for her sister. "We took on their legacy long after they died. Some ponies thought of us as spirits of the two allicorns before us."

"The only reason these portraits were made is because they died. And so…I want you to do one for me, too."

"Wait, what?!" I asked, taking a few steps back. "Princess Celestia, you're dying?"

"I'm afraid so," she replied sadly. "We don't know what the disease is, or how I caught it, but the only information any doctors could tell me is that I was dying from it. Never before have I gotten sick, and I was afraid to tell Twilight, my faithful student, because I feared she would become very depressed if I told her. That is why I want you to keep this a secret until my time is up."

"I…" I looked to Celestia, Luna, and the two portraits of their ancestors before I sighed, "I will make sure to tell her when the time comes, Princess."

"Very well," Luna stated. We all headed back to the throne room, where the younger sister continued, "I would also like my portrait done, in the event that my sister's disease proves infectious."

"If the doctors said that, you would have to wear a hazmat suit," the older sister joked. Luna and I laughed, as if nothing was wrong. I then started the two portraits, and to the best of my abilities, drew them. They both looked them over once I was done, and said in unison, "They're perfect." With their magic, they hung them right next to the two portraits of their ancestors. I left for Ponyville happy that I had done a good job, yet saddened by the news about Celestia. I took the time on the train to write a letter to my parents.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I've learned that sometimes our dreams seem out of reach, but they are not physical things. Meaning they can't be broken, torn, or crushed as long as you keep reaching for them. If you do reach your dreams, and are nervous, do not worry. That means that you've accomplished all you can do to make the dream possible, and you should be proud for that._

_Your loving daughter,_

_Doodledraw_


	23. Surprises in Spaneigh

My friends and I were at Sugarcube Corner. I was working on my sketchbook, and my friends were just looking around bored, waiting for Pinkie. Rainbow Dash groaned, "I thought she was bringing in cupcakes from the back room!"

"I wonder what's taking her so long," Twilight said, getting up to go to the kitchen. I set down my sketchbook and followed her, telling her, "Twilight, we don't want to disturb her. Remember the last time we came in while she was making cupcakes? She yelled at us for five minutes straight. I don't remember most of what she said, but I remember it ended with, 'Hey! Hey! Hey! Next time, stay out of my kitchen…'"

"Well, let's just put our ears up to the door," the unicorn said, and we both did. We both heard a strange noise, which was hard to describe. We then got hurt by the door swinging out, and after peeling ourselves off the wall, found a white earth pony with a blonde mane.

"Hi, guys! Nice to see you aga—Firefly, what did you do to your mane?" The white pony came up to Rainbow Dash's mane and was about to touch it, until RD pushed the hoof away, and asked, "Who are you, and what have you done with Pinkie Pie?!" The stranger came up to AJ and greeted, "Hey, Applejack! Love what you've done with your hair, but why do you need the hat?"

"I've never seen you before!" the orange earth mare exclaimed. "And I've always worn my mane like this and had this hat!" I came up to the white earth pony before she could talk to anymore of us, and said, "Alright, I have no idea who you are, or if you're just Pinkie Pie and you dumped flour on yourself again, but you need an explanation for why you're here and where Pinkie is!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know a Pinkie Pie!" she said apologetically. "And as for me, my name is Surprise." My friends all greeted her, although awkwardly, considering she had taken the place of our good friend. Twi then asked, "Where did you come from?"

"Oh, I don't really remember. Well, I remember where I was; I don't have amnesia or anything…but I don't for the life of me remember how I wound up in somepony's kitchen." All of us gasped, for without that information, we wouldn't know where Pinkie Pie could be. Surprise then continued, "I know I live in a place called DreamValley, but I don't know where I am right now or who most of you are."

"I don't know who you are, either," explained Applejack in response to her earlier comment, "but I do know that you're in Ponyville, part of CanterlotValley, but I've never even heard of a place called DreamValley."

"Me neither," Fluttershy agreed, "but your welcome to stay at my cottage until we can find your home."

"DreamValley…" Twilight muttered to herself, "Why does that sound familiar?"

"It sounds familiar to me to," I agreed, as I was close to her and could hear her mutterings. We both walked up to her and asked, "Could you tell us about DreamValley? Maybe it'd be easier to find if you gave us a description."

"Okay, well, me and my friends, who look a lot like you, used to live near DreamCastle, but we've moved far from there ever since the war started."

"What kind of war?" RD asked, looking interested. Surprise explained, "It only happened a few months ago. Our new leader, who has taken the place of our old one—Actually, we never really had a ruler, unless forever long ago counts—wanted to drive out all the creatures we _used _to live in harmony with. I met this stallion who said he'd help us through this war, and that's really all I remember."

"You're involved in war? That's sad…" Fluttershy stated. Surprise nodded in agreement. AJ looked at the clock and said, "I best be going. Applebloom is gonna need help with her homework again…" We all said are good-byes to her, and after a while, the only ponies in the café were Surprise, Twilight, and me.

"Alright, I have no idea where DreamValley or DreamCastle is, but they both sound familiar," the purple unicorn explained. "And wars don't usually happen around here, so it must be some place far away…" Suddenly, the white earth pony latched to her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Twi and I asked simultaneously. She got up from the table and we both realized she had some type of internal bleeding. The white pony looked at her back and realized, "That's not supposed to happen," and pulled off the bandages, also white, that covered her wings.

We all gasped and saw that her wing was crippled, and obviously, bleeding. I touched it, and the Pegasus moaned as I did. Pulling my hoof away, I asked her, "What happened? How did you get this serious injury?"

"Well, like I said, my country's at war with all the opposing creatures. Something must've attacked me and hurt my wing, but somebody, I don't know who, patched it up. I remember blacking out, and vaguely walking to somewhere, and that's how I ended up here."

"But…you couldn't of walked from where you were," Twi pointed out. "This 'DreamValley' seems to be far from here, so unless somepony brought you here-!"  
"Wait...'somepony'?" Surprise questioned. "Where I come from, we use the word 'somebody.'" The unicorn turned to me and stated, "She must be far from her home. I've only heard it used by Spike and some griffins I've met." I turned my attention back to the white Pegasus and explained, "Well, Surprise, since you're new here, I think you deserve a tour around town. But…let's get you some new bandages, shall we?"

Surprise nodded, and we took off her bandages, replaced them with new ones, and we all headed over to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight explained, "This is the farm where Applejack and her family work."

"Wow!" the Pegasus exclaimed. "This is way bigger than the farm _my _friend Applejack has." I leaned over to my best friend and whispered, "How does she know a different Applejack?"

"I don't know," Twilight whispered back. "Maybe it's a common name or just coincidence." I looked back to the white mare and asked, "So, what's the Applejack you know like?"

"Oh, well, AJ runs the farm by herself, and she's really clumsy. She usually calls on us to come in and help her." I then saw the purple unicorn's eyes widen, and she turned herself and me away from Surprise while she was taking a look around. She stated, "DD, I don't think Surprise is from here."

"Gee, I wonder how you figured that out," I snarked.

"No, I mean she's from another world! Remember our run-in with the Doctor a few months ago?" My eyes widened as I realized as well, and asked, "Do you think that…the Doctor stole Pinkie Pie and replaced her with Surprise?"

"Yes. Maybe it's because there's some crisis he needs to avert, and only overlapping the time-streams of the two dimensions can solve it!"

"Twi, I may not be an expert on time, nor a Time Lord, but I'd say that's pretty ridiculous."

"But there's no other logical explanation I can think of! The Doctor doesn't seem the type to pony-nap someone."

"Yeah, he may be crazy, but he's a pretty nice guy."

"Um, girls?" We both turned back to see Surprise, who was done looking around, and was now staring at us. She asked, "What are you talking about?" I answered, "We're just trying to figure out where your homeland is." That was only half-true; we just figured out where she had lived, but were still trying to figure out _why_ she was here.

We decided to show her where she would be staying, which was Fluttershy's cottage. We were just about to come inside when we heard that strange noise we had heard before Surprise turned up. The three of us turned around to see the TARDIS coming in close to a nearby tree. The Doctor soon came out with a familiar pink pony.

"Pinkie!" Twilight and I exclaimed, and quickly hugged her. The purple unicorn then turned to the Doctor, and shouted, "You better have a good explanation for why you stole Pinkie, mister!"

"Well, first of all, I didn't steal her," he said calmly. "She wandered into my TARDIS and I thought she was Surprise. You know I'm bad with faces." My best friend and I nodded, as we both knew that was true. "I take the TRADIS to worlds in need, and Surprise's was no exception. The time we visited there was long after…after…" We all stared solemnly at Surprise, for we couldn't tell her that she would end up dead from the war.

"Anywhoo, I tried to patch up Surprise after she got her wing broken. She must've gotten up, and in her daze, left the TARDIS when we landed. Pinkie Pie, a curious mare, probably wandered into it while I wasn't looking. It wasn't until I left Sugarcube Corner did I miss the mares were different."

Surprise, who was done surveying the place, was grabbed by Twilight. She explained, "Surprise, this stallion will be taking you home." The white Pegasus looked at him, and exclaimed, "Hey! I know you! You're the guy who must've fixed me up! Thank you, kind sir, and I also thank you in advance for taking me home."

Surprise was led by the Doctor into the TARDIS. The Doctor explained, poking his head out the door, "Oh, I want to do the two of you a favor since you found Surprise and took care of her. I will willingly take you two on an adventure through time, if you want to…"

"Yes…." I gasped, "Yes! We would _love to-!_"

"Oh, no," Twilight stepped in-between the both of us. She turned to look at the Doctor. "If you drag us into some adventure we shouldn't play a part in again, I swear, I'll-!"

"Hey, guy," the snow white Pegasus interrupted, inside the TARDIS. "I need to get home. My friends are counting on me…" Twilight turned to me, and I still had the eager look of adventure on my face. The unicorn sighed, "Fine. We'll drop Surprise off, and then…we'll go on an adventure." The Doctor and I both had pleased looks on our faces. The three of us all headed in, and the last thing we heard before the TARDIS doors slammed shut was Fluttershy gasping at Pinkie's return.

The Doctor dropped off Surprise at the exact time she was taken, and it wasn't soon before the brown stallion asked us, "So, any ideas of where you mares would like to go?" I replied, "Well, I always wanted to have authentic Spaniesh food."

"Yes, I read up about that in some books. The Spaniesh draw much heritage from Equestrians, even though they live across the sea." He turned to the purple unicorn. "Twilight, I borrowed some of your books. I hope you don't mind." She pointed a hoof to him. "I don't remember you ever coming to the library."

"Oh, that's because I stop by at night with the TARDIS."

"Wait, you're the pony who took out _Equestrian Atlas! _That's a reference, and you can't check out-!"

"We can talk about this later," I interrupted their argument. "Can we just go to Spaniegh now?" The Doctor and Twilight sighed, and the brown stallion decided to start up the TARDIS. It didn't take long for the blue box to wind back down as we felt ourselves land. The doors opened, and revealed what looked like an old city.

"Um, Doctor," I stated, "We're in old Spaniegh, when it was first settled."

"Well, you wanted _authentic _Spaniesh food, right?" the Doctor laughed. "What better place than right here in old Spaniegh?"

"Good point," Twilight agreed. "Can they understand us?"

"Of course. I've been able to communicate with other races before, so a different language is a cinch!" We came to a small market, where vendors of many types of food items had come out. The Doctor explained, "Well, DD, we have burritos, tacos, churros, nachos—take your pick!"

"Hmm…" I said to myself. I pointed to a stand to my left. "I think I'll have an authentic Spaniesh taco to satisfy my hunger. You guys can get whatever you want." The Doctor grabbed one of Twi's hooves and announced, "Onwards to the churro stand!" I kindly paid the man at the taco stand some bits, and I watched as he used his horn to make the authentic dish, piling on the beans, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese into a hard shell.

He gave the taco to me, but I noticed something was off; the cheese was white, not yellow. I turned back to him and asked, "Excuse me, why is the cheese white?"

"Oh, _senorita_, that is what's used on tacos these days. They're very popular for having that type of cheese on them." I waited until he served another customer to throw the food item away. I looked around and found Twilight and the Doctor heading back, a churro in the brown stallion's mouth and a bag of churros held with Twi's magic. I sighed, "Well, at least your orders went well."

"Why?" the purple unicorn asked. "What went wrong?" The Doctor, eating the rest of his churro down, realized, "Oh, that's right; they make the tacos different here. It may not be akin to your tastes." Suddenly, we heard some shouting in the distance. "Wait, do you hear that?"

"It sounds like…." I tried to listen in on the shouts. "_¡Ayuda!¡Alto!¡Ladrón!_"

"Roughly translated," Twilight said, "That means 'Help! Stop! Thief!'"

"What are we standing here for?" the brown stallion asked. "We need to help!" We all ran to the cries of help to find a mare who was selling various peppers. She looked to us and said, "_Extraños,_ I need your help! That dragon stole some of my finest peppers!" She pointed with a hoof to a small dragon that was starting to make a getaway. Twilight was the first to run after him, followed by the Doctor and my hesitant self. The dragon jumped over a balcony, and the purple mare pounced on him. The Doctor and I jumped off the balcony to see the dragon under Twilight's hooves. Of course, Twi gasped when she saw the little dragon. "Spike?"

"Sorry, senora," the dragon replied in a thick Spaniegh accent, "but you have me confused with someone else. I am Punto, and I must go." With that, he picked up his little sack of peppers and got out of the unicorn's grip. She yelled, "Wait! Stop!" but before she knew it, he was gone. I looked to the brown stallion then looked back to my friend. I just had to ask, "Okay, who was that? And why did he look like Spike?"

"He said his name was Punto," the Doctor explained. "Could he be the famous Punto Pendragon?"

"Who's that?" I asked, but Twi soon answered. "Punto Pendragon is the founder of the scribe dragons that have been in the Canterlot royal family for generations. He was magically enchanted to be able to send scrolls to and from the royal family, and the enchantment has stayed in the blood of his descendants. But…how did he get from the Spaniegh Isles to Equestria?"

"Well, if we follow him, I'm sure we'll find out," the Doctor answered. We all decided to follow the dragon in secret, since we might as well do something exciting while we were here. We followed the small dragon from afar, until he came to a brick road. Punto tapped on the bricks with his feet, and by the end of his little dance, a bunch of bricks pulled away. He went down beneath them, and the bricks soon went back into place.

The Doctor jumped onto the same bricks, and told us, "Don't worry; I memorized the pattern he tapped on." To see him dance on the bricks was quite amusing, considering he had four legs instead of two. Twilight and I couldn't help but laugh. Eventually, he got the bricks to open back up, much to the thief below's surprise.

"Agh!" Punto screamed as he organized his things. We all came down a set of stairs as the bricks covered back up. The place seemed to be a small workshop, filled with other various stolen items, and a small desk. The desk had writing paper, a quill, stool, and candle. The baby dragon then asked, "What are you ponies doing in my workshop?" Twi didn't even respond to the question and went over to the writing desk. She asked back, "What kind of writing do you do?"

"I-I used to work as an apprentice to a writer." The dragon still looked very nervous about us being here. "He was very kind, and found me when I was an egg. From a young age, he taught me how to read and write. I would write letters for him. But….he was old, and….died just three months ago. He had family, friends and neighbors, but…none of them would take me in, because I am a dragon. That is why I became a thief; so I could get what I needed to survive."

There was a short pause after he was done telling us his past, but the Doctor quickly broke it. "Well, Punto, I know it may seem tough, but I assure you, you have a bright future ahead of you." Not wanting to mess with time, and I'm sure my friends would agree, I asked, "Could you let us out? We really must be going." Punto nodded, and pulled a lever to slide the bricks open again, but someone was already there.

"Well, well, well," three guards stood above, and the leader of the other two spoke first. "This is where you've been hiding." The two guards grabbed up the small dragon, and no matter how hard he fussed with them, he couldn't get out. The main guard explained, "You may have tried to hide from this thief, but you didn't hide from us. We saw you wander over town, and…you led us straight to him. Whoever you are, we thank you for helping us catch this _ladrón. _Because of his thievery, he will be sentenced to the night in jail, and tomorrow morning, a public execution."

"Doctor, do something!" Twilight whispered to him. Though we were all shocked by what was happening, we still remained calm. The stallion whispered back, "I can't do anything; I left my Sonic back at the TARDIS….again." We could only watch as the baby dragon was taken away, screaming for our help. As the bricks slammed back shut, the brown stallion stated, "This isn't supposed to happen."

"Oh, you _think!?_" Twilight came out of a stunned silence. "Spike's ancestor is going to be killed and we have no means to save him!" Even though I didn't want to screw up time, I pleaded to the Doctor, "We got to do something!"

"Alright, we'll go back to the TARDIS; I can think better back there." We all did so, and devised a way to get Punto out. Every cell had a window that showed to the outside, so once we had some way to break down the iron bars, we could get Punto to safety. It was foolproof…so long as we didn't get spotted by the guards.

Twilight and I wore cat-suits, and the purple unicorn laughed, "Last time I wore these, I was in a place where I was free to roam." We then followed the Doctor to where the Spaniesh prison was located. We tried our best to sneak past the guards, but the stallion just looked at us in confusion.

"What are you doing that for?" He hit a button on the screwdriver in his mouth, and he walked past the guards without problem. He came back for us, and I asked in a whisper, "What did you do?"

"Cloaking device. Just grab unto me and you'll turn invisible too." We both grabbed onto his back with a hoof. We all were surprised there were no guards past the first gate. Once past the guards, Twilight asked, "Do you have _every _feature on that screwdriver?"

"Well, you forget," he replied through the Sonic in his mouth. "This is no ordinary screwdriver. Now, all the cells are on ground floor, so we can look for the one where Punto is hiding. Come on! Time's a-wasting!" We all started to look in the tiny windows that surrounded us, each one a different cell. The Doctor used his Sonic as a light to look in. Twilight whispered, "Punto?" into each cell. I just looked in them; most of mine are empty.

"Yes?" Twilight finally got a response from one of the cells. Twilight pointed to the window, and the Doctor and I came over to her. We looked into the cell to find….Punto! The purple unicorn explained, "We need to get you out of here."

"I'll use my Sonic on the bars and we'll have you out in no time." The stallion put the tip of the screwdriver to the bars and watched in awe as they started to melt. Unfortunately, the guards just outside the gate heard something….odd. They then looked to see us, three intruders trying to rescue a prisoner. One guard hollered, "Get them!" and more guards came to surround us. One of the guards said, "You will be thrown in and executed along with the prisoner tomorrow morning. Anything you would like to say in your defense?"  
"There's something I would," the Doctor replied. By now, the bars were melted and Punto was climbing out. Punto climbed onto Twilight, the nearest pony to the window. The stallion ran off, exclaiming, "**_ALLONS-Y!_**" and we ran off as soon as he did. The guards went after us, but we were much faster. It was a daring chase. We followed the Doctor all the way to a boat port, where Twilight put the small dragon onto a shipping boat.

"This ship will take you all the way to Manehattan," the unicorn told him. By then, we had lost the guards. The sun was starting to rise, and the boat soon left the docks. I sighed, watching the boat float away, "We…we did it…..we changed history…for the better…."

"Actually, you didn't change a thing." The Doctor told me. He then turned to Twilight. "Twi, do you remember what it says in history books about how Punto came to Equestria?"

"Of course. Punto Pendragon was a thief at the time and a criminal with a high reward hanging over his head. He got into prison, but was rescued by a trio of ponies….oh, I see where this is headed." I asked, "Where?" The two laughed at me and we headed back to the TARDIS, though it would take me a while to understand that that trio was us.


	24. Congratulations, Spike!

"What's the situation?" I asked Twilight. The both of us were heading to the library, racing as fast as we could. The unicorn explained, "I was working on a memory spell, and using two participants. I was working on creating a memory spell where somepony could make somepony else see their memories to better understand a situation."

"Then what happened?" I could tell there was more to this story. Twi answered nervously, "You're going to have to see it to believe it." The library was filled with all of the purple unicorn's friends, minus Rarity from Canterlot. I looked to see what they were looking at, and found RD and Spike, only they looked a bit…different. Rainbow had Spike's green, reptilian eyes and her mane was now green. Spike's spiked "hair" was now rainbow-colored, and his eyes were ruby and had lashes.

"I hope you know how to reverse this!" Rainbow Dash's voice came from Spike's body. After hearing this, I immediately asked, "What the hay happened here?"

"I think she switched our brains," RD said in Spike's voice. I tried to think of a way to do this out loud, "Okay, I don't want to call you guys Rainbow Dash and Spike now….maybe we should do it by whose brain is in whose body?"

"So, we'll call Spike in RD's body 'Spike Dash', and 'Rainbow' RD in Spike's body?" Pinkie came up with on the spot. I nodded, and exclaimed, "I like your thinking!" I then turned to my best friend and asked, "Do you have a solution for this?"

"Because I was _making_ a _new_ spell, I don't know! I sent a letter to Canterlot as soon as it happened, and hopefully, even with our mail service, it will get there in time! I told the post master it was extra-urgent!"

"Yeah, like that will make it come faster," Rainbow snarked. Twilight went back to explaining. "I don't think Fire Twilight's magic can help for a situation like this, because there's no songs written by his father that pertain to the mind. 'Cave In' does, but all that happened the last time he played that, he was with Rarity and they became trapped in a mine."

"Did you contact the Princess?" Fluttershy asked nervously.

"I did, but all I got was a response from Luna. She said that her sister was busy with work and needed her rest. She's usually not that busy with royal duties to visit me." What Luna told her was a lie. Only I knew the truth: that the Princess was dying and needed her rest. The question only made me blush, which fortunately, didn't show up through my hot pink coat.

"Let's just try to deal with this situation to the best of our abilities," AJ stated, bringing me back to reality. We all nodded, and Spike Dash stated, "I'm gonna try to fly with _these_ babies!" He walked out, leaving Rainbow to ask, "So, do I need to be your assistant, Twilight?"

"Don't worry," she reassured her, "I'm not going to use you to send off any more letters, okay?" Rainbow grumbled, "I hope not," and sat on a stair step next to me. I quickly grabbed a quill and paper while Twi wasn't looking, and sketched out the brain-switched Spike and RD.

It didn't take more than an hour for Rarity to arrive, with a dramatic entry of bursting through the door. She shouted, "I'm here!" Everypony present at the library turned to look at her. "I heard you needed my expertise with a situation, so I came as fast as I could!"

"I don't know if this is your skilled area," Twilight pointed out, "but we need all the help we can get." The purple unicorn caught the white one up to speed, and soon, the two brain-switched sat between Rarity and Twilight, I becoming a casual observer. Twilight activated the spell, and Rarity soon activated her magic. Twilight's magic spread to the two test subjects, but Rarity's took a different direction; it was _coming at me._

I woke up from a strange sleep. I groggily asked, "Ugh, what happened?" I held my hoof out in front of myself, but instead of finding it pink, I found _a white hoof_. I ran to the nearest mirror, and found a blurry white unicorn with a brown, curled-up mane, and green, oval eyes. The only reason all of this was blurry is because I still needed my glasses.

I stole them off my own body, which was now occupied by Rarity. _I shall call you Rare-draw, _I thought, staring at my body. Twilight came out of another part of the library with a book held up by magic. She moved it away from her face, and I found her mane in a mess. She groaned, "I've never had anything like this happen to me before! I should've never attempted to make my own spells!"

"Are Spike and RD back to normal now?" I asked with my own voice. All I received as an answer was a look of irritation from the purple unicorn. I said, "Okay! Okay! So not everything's okay! It's not the end of the world! I can go on like this…I hope…"

"But you don't understand! Everypony will think and see you as being Rarity! You don't know how to sew! Rarity knows how to draw, but she's kind of limited to only dresses…" Suddenly, Rare-draw woke up, her cat-shaped blue eyes opening up. She asked, "What happened," and then screamed when she saw her own body, AKA me. I sighed, "Well, you took it better than I expected."

"How could've this failed a second time?!" Twi asked frantically, this close to having a nervous breakdown. We then heard somepony coming downstairs. Twilight gasped, "It's Spike Dash! He can't see you like this! He'd freak!"

"Freak more than you have?" I snarked. "Not likely." The purple unicorn growled, and pushed us both into the next room, magically locking the door. Rare-draw and I pressed our ears against the door, and intently listened in on the conversation.

"Hey, Spike. What are you doing down here?"

"I just realized there are more benefits to this than just flying."

"So what are you going to do in this body?"

"_I'm _going to go on a date with Rarity." The fashonista in my body nearly screamed, but I covered her mouth with a hoof.

"Spike, you can't do that! Ponies see you as Rainbow Dash in this body, and if you go on a date with Rarity, ponies might get the wrong idea that RD is….gay."

"Like they didn't think that before…"

"_Spike!_ This is serious! Doing anything in these bodies could ruin your reputation not only for RD, but for yourself. Don't….go out in public, okay?"

"Alright…" We heard Spike Dash go back up the stairs. Twilight soon came to the room we were hidden in and turned on the lights. It was another massive part of the library, only these books were all filled with spell books.

"We'll search every square inch of this part of the library for a spell to solve my problems!" We all agreed, and skimmed furiously through the books. It was about 10:30 when we started, and went straight back to work after all having a light lunch. By the time we were finished, the sun was starting to set, and my best friend was even more frustrated.

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "There has to be some spell that relates to this! I'll go up to my private books and see if there's anything in that." She headed back upstairs, and we quickly re-skimmed through the books, only to find nothing. I sighed to Rare-draw, "I'm going to go home, and maybe try out this horn." Rare-draw waved good-bye, and found a romantic dinner, prepared by a certain dragon-turned Rarity.

"Well, hello there." Spike Dash said in his most sensuous voice. He didn't notice my glasses or my mane color in the romantic lowlight. He stated, "I prepared this for you. I told you about the dream, right?"

"Of course, the one where I was your fillyfriend," I replied, putting on my best upper-class accent. I realized he was trying to recreate the date to the best of his abilities. It wasn't bad, actually. I had dinner with him, and he was quite the gentlecolt. The only part turning me off was that he was doing it _through Rainbow Dash's body._ Our eyes met for a moment. He then leaned in, and I knew he wanted a kiss. I groaned, and leaned in, closing my eyes and preparing myself for the grossest moment of my life.

I woke up, yet again, back at my own place. I came to the nearest mirror and saw myself, figuring that Rarity had decided to stay at my place. I then snickered at the thought of last night, of RD and Rarity returning to their respective bodies and finding themselves lip-locked.

I went over to Twilight's soon after breakfast and found her hard at studying. I asked, "What spell did you find?" I broke her out of the studying-trance she was in, and she happily explained, "I found my fail-safe spell. I only used it once with not much experience, and it…failed. I never really used it again after that."

I nodded in understanding. I then saw Rainbow Dash and Rarity arguing outside, and pointing to them, asked Twilight, "Did you return them to normal when Spike and I were kissing?" She nodded, and seeing their grossed-out expressions, laughed, "Thought so…"


	25. The Last Sun Setting- Part One

It was a magnificent day over all of Equestria. The clouds were pushed all the way out to the borders, it wasn't too hot (despite being the dog days of summer) and it seemed everypony was out to celebrate it. Doodledraw and Twilight spent their time under the shady trees of the park. DD was drawing, of course, and Twi was wrapped up in a good book. The hot pink mare heard her friend slam the book shut, and she knew she would have to feign interest.

"Another great read about the Elements of Harmony!"

"Really?" the pink pony asked, a lot more interested than she thought she would.

"Yes. This author has been studying our friendship, how the necklaces and crown work, and how everypony from everywhere can truly embrace these."

"Wow. That sounds really neat. I wonder if there's really something out there that can top the Elements for power."

"I'd like to see that," the purple unicorn laughed. Suddenly, the rest of Twilight's friends, spearheaded by Spike holding a letter, came running into the park. They both noticed them, but the unicorn got to the chase faster by asking first, "What's wrong, Spike?"

"Something terrible has happened," Applejack was the first to speak.

"An-enormously-huge-total-country-in-total-chaos-w e-have-to-rush-over-to-Canterlot-problem!" Pinkie Pie added. All her friends started muttering to each other, and the only way Twilight got them to stop was by making a high-pitched whistle, drawing their attention to her. The purple mare sighed, "Thank you. Now, can you please tell me what's going on?"

"What do you mean 'you don't know what's going on'?" Doodledraw, running with the others to Canterlot Castle, asked Spike, who was rereading the letter. He groaned, "I don't know! All Princess Luna-!"

"Wait, Princess Luna sent the letter and not Celestia?" Twilight asked, knowing he had kept out that information. Getting a stern glare from the unicorn, Spike stated quickly, "I didn't even see it the first time, I swear!" Doodledraw then gasped, "We have to hurry! I think I know why Celestia's sister sent it."

They all hurried through to the throne room, only to find Luna sitting where Celestia should have been. She told them all, "Thank you for coming so quickly. This was a matter of grave importance that could not wait."

"But….where's Celestia?" Fluttershy asked quietly. Luna heard her, and answered, "That is exactly why I called all of you down here." The younger princess got up from the throne and they all followed her to what Twilight knew as Celestia's private bedroom. All during that time, Doodledraw had a look of great worry on her face. Only she knew how dire this situation was and what was happening.

But soon for her friends, it came to light. Luna opened the door, and everypony, even DD, gasped at the sight. There was Princess Celestia, or at least, what they could make out to be her. The usually well-groomed allicorn was sitting on her bed, looking like she was about to throw up. Her coat was slightly grayed, and her mane's colors were all fading to pink. Rainbow Dash was the first to come out of the shock, and immediately asked, "Who did this to her?"

"Nopony did this to her," Luna stated. "She brought it upon herself. She has been sick like this for many months now, but was strong enough for the Summer Sun Celebration. In this short time after, the sickness has become worse. It seems I have caught it too, and if you don't do something soon, Equestria will be thrown into chaos."

Of course, everypony knew what she meant by that, and nopony wanted to experience _it_ again. Twilight, tears starting to flood into her eyes, asked the moon princess, "Can she see me?" Luna nodded slowly, and the unicorn soon sat by her teacher's side. Twi stared at her for what seemed like forever. Celestia looked at her warily, probably not seeing her except as a blur.

But the more the student stared into the teacher's eyes, the more she knew she had to find a way to save Equestria. She knew it would be the Princess' dying wish, and that it would be shared by the younger sister. Twilight put on her strong face, and turning back to the navy blue allicorn, asked, "What can we do to save her."

"Nothing now." Luna then looked like she had been hit in the head with a hammer; that look when you re-remember a brilliant idea you had forgotten until now. The moon princess beamed, "There may be hope for Equestria just yet!" They all followed her to her own room, and coming to a bookshelf, Luna magically took out what looked like a diary.

"This is my private journal," she explained. "I wrote in it almost every day before I became Nightmare Moon. Not only will it shed some light to how I became her, it also might have the solution I've been looking for. While my sister was caught up in her royal duties, I would always come out to the Everfree Forest, where we stored the Elements of Harmony, and study them. I came across four more virtues, which I stated were part of the Elements, but at the time, nopony seemed to care."

"More virtues?" Pinkie Pie questioned. "Does that mean there are more than six Elements?"

"These virtues are not what give the Elements their strength, but what make them stronger." Her words were a bit cryptic, but everypony soon nodded in understanding. Luna gave Twilight the book, and Spike held it under his arm. The allicorn took them all to the tower where the Elements of Harmony were stored, and pulled out the crown that held the Element of Magic. Luna activated her magic and used it on the crown, and it soon started to beep slowly.

"I have turned the crown into a detector that will make it beep louder when you get closer to these Elements," she explained. "Remember, these Elements are not essential, but they only make them stronger. I will keep the sun and moon cycle constant so that this won't come to the light of the press. Stay safe, my little ponies." The princess gave them a salute, and all saluted back. They headed out of Canterlot Castle, not knowing where they were headed and only a crown to guide them.

"So how will we know just who's part of the extra Element's we're looking for?" RD asked, them all running back to Ponyville. Twilight explained, "The crown has started to beep faster as we're coming home, so maybe it's someone from Ponyville."

"And how will we even know what these ponies are supposed to represent?" Applejack asked. The purple unicorn magically pulled out Luna's diary from under Spike's arm and placed it in front of Doodledraw. Everypony slowed down as Twi replied, "Maybe these journals will shed some light on the subject." DD asked, "You really want me to read Princess Luna's journals?"

"Sure. You don't seem as caught up in the mission as everypony else here, and Spike has fallen asleep. You _do not_ want to wake him from a nap like this." Doodledraw sighed and Twilight turned to the first page. The hot pink mare started reading out loud, "_Luna's Diary; keep out, Celly! Day 1- Today was a great day. Perfect, actually. We defeated Discord, a tyrant ruler over the land, and Celestia and I have been praised as not only heroes, but the new rulers. We didn't want to live in the area of Everfree, but decided to put the Elements of Harmony (the things we used to defeat Discord) there as a memorial. We decided to name this new city where we shall live Canterlot._"

"So that's why the Elements were in the Everfree Forest!" Twilight exclaimed. "Not only were they there as a memorial, but Princess Celestia used them on her sister in the same place. Although I still don't know what the 'Royal Canterlot Voice' is."

"Wait, I found something on it! Turn the page." The unicorn did as instructed, and the hot pink mare continued to read aloud. "_Day 5- Today, my sister and I made up this really funny in-joke. She asked, "Hey, sister, why don't we use a royal voice to address our subjects?" I was like, "Yeah, we should use that kind of 'we' that means you're talking about yourself, and" I practically shouted the next words, "use this much volume when addressing our subjects!" It was a really funny joke and we used it at a meeting today. They thought it was funny, and now we have decided to use it for tricks and giggles!"_

"Ah, so it's just a joke. Read on."

"_Day 9- Today, I have decided to study the Elements of Harmony. They seem to reflect the building blocks of friendship: Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, and Loyalty. And of course, the Elements would not work at all without Magic as their center. I find that there may be more Elements in this mix; an extra set, if you may. But I cannot come to a conclusion on what they are this early in my studies. I will have to study them more to truly be sure there are more._

"_Day 13- I have found four more virtues of friendship that might be these Excess Elements. They are Cleverness, Confidence, Strength, and Trust. These make friendships stronger, and if I were to find gems that represent them, I think they'll make the Elements stronger. Celestia doesn't even seem vaguely interested in these studies, saying "Their power is not to be messed with." But I don't understand her logic! We don't know what these Elements of Harmony are, so they must be studied! Maybe it's just the stress of a royal getting to her._

"_Day 20- Something frightening happened today. Ever since love, friendship, and harmony have returned, the changelings (a group of pony-like insectoid creatures) have been planning. They feed off love, and with their powers, have been able to integrate into society perfectly. They decided that today was the day they would try to take over. Our guards, my sister and I all fought back. We won, but…I got bitten by one of the changelings. The area around the bite has become dark and puffy, and the doctors don't know what to do except use some cream on the inflammation. Hopefully, my sister will be willing to live with this, and help me through this._

"_Day 35- It's been a while, but I'm still alive, diary! Celestia and I have been caught up in the glamorous life of being royals. But my sister has been complaining about the stress and how much her job is all work and no play. Maybe she should give some to me. I mean, I've always been treated as the little sister: my sister taking all the responsibility and I get to play all the time. I mean, it's nice and all, but I wish she would hand some of them to me._

"_Day 48- I know I haven't been writing as often as I should, but it's because I've been taking the time to reflect on my relationship with my sister. Ever since we were fillies, she's always been protective of me, but since the threats are gone (well, except the changeling incident), we've been torn apart by our duties. Mine is to set the sun and raise the moon. Maybe Discord was right…I'll always be overlooked, and that the day will be more appreciated than the night._

"_Day 55- No, no, no! I can't think that way! To think Discord, that big dumb meanie was right? No, I shouldn't! He was just trying to manipulate me. It took me a while to realize, but he is wrong! And yet…every time I try to be kind and loving to my sister, something in my head hurts, and my infection burns like fire. Could there be a connection between by decreasing love for my sister and my infection?_

"_Day 67- Discord was right, almost. It seems the day is where ponies frolic and play and work, whereas the ponies sleep and rest in the night. There are some times where I find fireworks being set off from far away, but I find that since celebrations of Discord's stoning have winded down, there are no more fireworks. Maybe they'll be more for the Hearth's Warming festival. It's coming up soon, and maybe I can decide there'll be fireworks!_

"_Day 77- I won't get to decide anything for the Hearth's Warming festival, as I was told by one of my guards. All the decisions will be made by Celestia, as always. It burns me up that I get no decisions in this, and yet, I'm treated as royalty. I mean, they say with great power comes great responsibility, but I get no power and little responsibility, and I'm still treated like a princess! I…need to talk to Celestia about this…_

"_Day 83- I feel like I should be away from my sister. After that fight last night, where I tried to tell her I wanted more responsibility as a princess, it escalated into a big fight. And the infection has spread to both my front hooves now, but it feels fine when I'm away. Maybe a week to myself will make it show some signs of healing._

"_Day 90-_Um, guys, I can't read this." Doodledraw stopped narrating and looked at the journal. "It's all scrawled writing, and all I can make out is 'underappreciated', 'the sun shall never live again', and 'the night shall last forever'" Twilight gasped, "That must be the night of when her transformation into Nightmare Moon happened! Celestia told me that she was chased by her sister into a growing Everfree Forest, and to the ruins of the castle where we found the Elements. She said that them being used by one pony was enough to drain them."

The unicorn used her magic and put the book back on a still-sleeping Spike. They made it all the way back to Ponyville, and Twi told the rest of the group, "I'm going to put Spike down for a nap. The beeping has seemed to have gotten stronger the more we walked closer to here."

DD looked at her friend walking away. Although she had been told to stay there, and her friends had started chatting and making guesses on where this Element would be, the hot pink pony felt guilty that if she didn't tell her best friend now, their friendship may be broken.

Doodledraw walked into the library, only to see Twilight walking down from upstairs. The pink earth pony sighed, "Twilight, there's something I need to talk about." The unicorn, looking up at her crown, which was still beeping, asked, "Will this take very long? Because I can feel we're getting close."

"Twi…I need to tell you that…when I came to commission Princess Celestia's portrait, she wanted it done because…she told me that she was dying." The unicorn looked at her friend in shock for a second, and then tears formed up in her eyes. "I know I should've told you, but the Princess feared you would get all nervous, and-!"

The purple mare hugged the pink one tightly, and through the tears, said, "Thank you…"

"But…why are you hugging me? And thanking me?"

"Because Celestia was right. I would freak if I knew that ahead of time, and I'm glad you told me, best friend." Doodledraw didn't know why she did it, but she hugged her friend back, and smiling, replied, "You're welcome."

Twilight and Doodledraw headed out of the library, the unicorn now wearing saddlebags with Luna's diary inside one of them. DD was tampering with the crown, holding it with her fore-hooves and pointing it everywhere, seeing if the beeping would get stronger. When they found the rest of their friends, Applejack was the first to speak.

"We figured since one of the extra Elements is Strength, we'd head over to Sweet Apple Acres first. My brother Big Macintosh is the strongest pony in Ponyville!" Everypony nodded in agreement, and headed for the farm. As they got there, the beeping from the Crown of Magic got…_stronger, _giving the impression that AJ's hunch was right. They came to the farm, and saw Big Mac hard at work.

Applejack spotted him from a distance, and shouted, "Big Mac! We got a question for ya!" But the big red pony didn't pay much attention to her or the rest of the group. He just kept on bucking trees. The orange mare laughed sheepishly and told the group, "Hold on one second."

It took a few minutes, but when Big Macintosh came closer, the crown beeped furiously. Doodledraw tried to keep herself from dropping it as AJ and Big Mac came over. The two siblings were arguing. The whole group could hear the orange one state, "Now, Big Mac, you can't work for this long without food. Did you even have breakfast this mornin'?" Silence filled the air until the red one responded with, "Eenope."

"Alright, you're getting a proper lunch, mister." The two were now sitting right next to the group, and the crown went silent. Doodledraw gave the crown a sturdy hit with the hoof to see if it would beep again. The big crimson stallion explained, "Applejack, you know I can endure hours of bucking with little food or rest, unlike you who almost killed herself trying to buck the entire orchard."

Applejack grumbled to herself, and miraculously, the crown started to glow. It floated up out of DD's hooves, and with an ethereal voice that sounded vaguely like Twilight's, it stated, "_Big Macintosh, who can go through the harshest situations and still shine through, represents the Element of Strength!_" A beam of light shot from the crown hit Big Mac's yoke.

There was a moment of silence as the crown dropped to the earth. Twilight picked it up and put it on her head again. The red stallion then took off his yoke, and revealed a necklace with a green apple in the middle, shaped like his cutie mark. The purple unicorn gasped, "Big Mac! You're one of the Extra Elements!"

"Eeyup," he replied, looking at the necklace in admiration. The unicorn told the rest of the group, "Alright, Rainbow Dash, I entrust you with escorting Big Mac back to Canterlot Castle. You stay there and tell Princess Luna to send for Rarity." RD gave a salute and said, "I'm on it!" Twi explained for the rest of the group, "I think it would be best to get all the Elements in one place. We don't know how long this mission could take, and the Elements must be assembled by the time we get there."

The group, Big Mac included, all headed back to the center of town, where Rainbow Dash and the red stallion disbanded to go to Canterlot. The beeping of the crown since the discovery of Macintosh's element had been very slow, beeping long seconds apart. Twi pointed the crown down the road to Canterlot as they left, and Doodledraw asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to get a read of which way we're supposed to go," she answered, and ran and pointed it to another path as she did so. After finding many paths that headed different directions, the crown started beeping a little faster down one of the last paths. DD pointed out, "Hey! This road leads to Raini Valley and Baltimare." The remaining party members groaned, for they knew it would be a long trip.

Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Doodledraw headed out with their saddlebags in tow and filled with food. They would have to make the long trip there during the moon, which was luckily full at the time. The five came to an inn at about the half-way point around midnight, and ate a midnight snack there.

They finally made it to Raini Valley about six o'clock in the morning, and were very tired-out from the long journey. But they didn't even stop to rest at the local inn. Twi sat with the rest of the group as they all rested up and ate breakfast. She walked around the small town, and gaped at where the next Element supposedly was when the crown started beeping faster and louder.

She ran back to the group, and panted, "Girls….we have to….go up the mountainside." Everypony groaned once again at the thought of climbing up the steep slopes, but DD reassured them, "Don't worry! That's were the mine-ponies work, and they have many paths leading up to the caves."

The path was long and filled with obstacles, but it seemed that was where they were headed. As they climbed up the rickety old path, the crown beeped louder. Pinkie Pie yelled, because the wind howling, "Nopony in their right mind should _ever _come up some path like this! And that's coming from _me_!"

They all came to the mouth of a cave much later, and sat near the good amount of ground there was surrounding it. AJ's ears popped from the altitude, and she shouted, "Alright, that's it! There's no way I'm going into that old cave that may or may not have an Element."

"You can't give up now!" Doodledraw exclaimed, sitting right next to the orange pony. "We may be tired, and already running out of food, but don't worry! I'm sure this mission will be a success! The crown is beeping, and the Elements of Harmony are never wrong!"

"Well, until this mission is a success, I'm placing my plot _right here!_" Applejack put her flank on the cold stone that was the entrance of the cave, and many cracks ran from it. Suddenly, the cracked pieces of earth gave in to their weight and collapsed. Pinkie Pie, who held onto a rock with her back hooves, grabbed Twilight's tail with her front hooves, Twilight held Fluttershy's hair tight in her mouth, Fluttershy was holding Applejack's legs with her fore-hooves, and AJ held tightly to DD's hair with her mouth.

"Pinkie, do you think you can hoist us up?" the unicorn asked through a mouth full of Pink hair.

"What's that?" the pink mare asked, not hearing them over the hair and the howling wind.

"Pinkie, are you strong enough to pull us all up?" By then, the purple mare had opened her mouth all the way, dropping Fluttershy. Twi waved her hooves around in shock, hoping to catch her. Luckily, the shy Pegasus' wings opened and flapped just in time to save the rest from falling.

Doodledraw looked down. She could only see clouds, and through that, the town of Raini Valley below. She let out a scream, only for Twilight to say, "Maybe we shouldn't have let Rainbow and Big Macintosh go…"


	26. The Last Sun Setting- Part Two

"Wow, talk about a cliff-hanger!" Pinkie said, still holding onto Twilight. The purple unicorn accidently let go of Fluttershy, but she was flapping her wings, and holding Applejack, who grabbed a hold of Doodledraw. AJ said, "I think I'll try to toss DD up to the top! That way, 'shy only has to hoist me up!"

"No! We can't do that!" DD said nervously.

"She's right," Twi agreed. "It's too dangerous. She could hurt herself on the rocks here. Fluttershy, you need to bring the two up, gently." The yellow Pegasus nodded, and tried to pull the two up. She sighed, but caught her second wind when she knew how important this mission was.

Pinkie quickly pulled up Twilight and Fluttershy brought up the other two ponies. They all gave a sigh of relief as they saw they were all safe, and then walked into the cave, a bit scared, but they all tried to stay brave. The crown guided them as it beeps echoed through the cave. They soon found themselves at a dead-end, but somepony was already there.

It was a dark purple unicorn with a light blue short mane. She was wearing a pair of black overalls, but they didn't obscure her cutie mark, three connected crystals. DD gasped when she saw her, and exclaimed, "Lapis Loopy!"

"Doodledraw!" The purple pony noticed her friend and hugged her. The unicorn explained, "I'm trying to get back into this abandoned mine so I can find some rare crystals. Your friend Rarity likes this kind of thing right?" Twilight asked, "Do you have a pick to chip away at the rocks?"

"I thought it'd be dangerous."

"Um…then you have a jackhammer to chip away at them?"

"That's more dangerous than the pickaxe!"

"Some sort of other power tool, then?"

"Nope," she stated, and went right back to investigating the cave-in that made the dead end. Doodledraw whispered to Twi, "Don't worry, Lapis may seem a bit crazy, but she usually knows the best way out of a situation." After much time of studying all the rocks, she picked up a small pebble from the wall. DD's best friend laughed, "_That's_ how you're going to get back into the mi—!"

The rest of the rocks soon collapsed, and Lapis explained, "That pebble was holding the most weight, meaning if I took it out, most of the rocks surrounding it would collapse." Twi's crown started to glow, and the ethereal voice spoke again. "_Lapis Loopy, who can find the best ways out of tough situations, represents the Element of Cleverness!"_ A beam of light shot was shot at her neck, and it formed a perfect necklace of her blue cutie mark on her neck.

"Uh, Doodledraw, care to explain this?" Lapis Loopy asked, the crown powering down and beeping again. DD replied, "We'll explain everything on the way down." Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "Hey, look, a tunnel!" Just past the fallen wall of rocks, there was a passage to the outside world. They all followed it, while Doodledraw explained the situation to Lapis.

"Wow," Lapis said after getting the boatload of information down. "So, I'm an Element of Harmony now? Awesome! I get to fight monsters instead of being stuck in the mines all day!" DD scoffed, "Better you than me, sister."

"Alright," Twilight said once they got to the foot of the mountain, "the crown is beeping in the direction of Baltimare, so I think we should go there next." The group of six headed towards the bustling city of Baltimare, and stopped at a local restaurant for a quick bite to eat. They all traced the beeping to a dance club, and AJ told Lapis to "stay outside." She did, and the five ponies all came inside. The crown stopped beeping when Twilight placed her eyes on a black unicorn stallion with a neon green mane and rainbow tail.

"Looks like that's the guy," the purple unicorn said. They all walked over to the black stallion, and Pinkie tapped him on the shoulder. The black unicorn turned around and asked, "W-who're you?"

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I-!" the party pony was pushed out of the way by DD, who continued, "Think I'll take it from here. My friends and I are from CanterlotCastle and were wondering if you'd like a free tour of the place?"

"DD, be honest with the stallion," her best friend scolded. "We need your help to save Princess Celestia. She's dying and only a group of hidden Elements can save us. According to my crown, you're one of them. Will you help us?" The stallion was quick to answer, "Yeah, sure thing! Do I get a place to stay and a tour of the castle?"

"You…trust us? Just random strangers?" Twi questioned. "I don't under-!" Her crown started to glow and caused a scene, the ethereal voice stating, "_Mike, who has faith in everypony, represents the Element of Trust!_" A beam of light gave him a necklace with a green gem to match is cutie mark. DD laughed, "That explains it."

The unicorn stallion looked at his new necklace in confusion. He stammered, "W-what…? Oh great, this is going to be really weird. Meet me outside, I guess, and bring your crew with you. I'll get to know you all out there." He teleported to out-front of the club and sat next to Lapis Loopy.

"I didn't know anyone could do that but me," the unicorn with the crown said a bit in awe. "Oh, well." She then teleported all her friends to meet up with the stallion and Lapis. Pinkie told him, "Alright, pack your bags, we're going to Canterlot!" Seeing the sun setting in the distance, Twi whimpered, "Oh, we don't have much time!" Inexplicably, she teleported them all the way to Ponyville, a good eight hours away from where they once were.

The unicorn stallion looked around at his location and exclaimed, "What?! I need to pack and tell my friends and family where I'm goin'! Where are we, even? I…I'm so confused." Twilight answered, "We're in Ponyville, near Canterlot. Hold on one second…." While she checked her crown for a new destination, the hot pink pony leaned over at the black stallion and greeted, "Hey, I'm Doodledraw."

"Hello there," the stallion greeted back, "I'm Mike. It's a pleasure to meet you." Twilight turned back to the group and groaned, "Ugh, the crown's not giving me a new location."

"Maybe we should go to CanterlotCastle, then?" Fluttershy suggested.

"No, we still need to find the last extra Element: Confidence!" Suddenly, Spike ran out of the library, noticing Twi and the rest of the group, and said, "Guys! I got a letter from Princess Luna! She says that the sickness she has has gotten way worse, and she needs you to come with the Elements immediately!"

"Alright girls," she sighed, "more important business than finding the last Element has arisen. We need to head to Canterlot, again!" The seven ponies, and Spike, all headed down the dirt path that lead to CanterlotCastle.

They all came to CanterlotCastle, and found Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh, and Rarity waiting for them. RD explained when they got there, "I didn't know how long it would take you, so Luna got the Elements out of the vault and I brought Rarity over from the boutique."

"I heard about the royal sisters' horrible condition," Rarity added, "and decided to help any way I can." She asked Twilight, "Is there anything we can do to cure it?"

"I don't know," the purple unicorn answered, opening the doors to Celestia's bedroom, "but the Elements seem like the cure." They all looked at the two sisters sitting on the bed in horror. Both looked faded of color and life, and their manes weren't flowing, but were messy and looked like real hair strands. The blue Pegasus handed the original Elements their necklaces, and Twilight tried to activate them along with the three additional Elements.

….but she couldn't. Twi sighed, "Without the last extra Element, Confidence, we can't activate these to save the princesses!" They all hung their heads, knowing very well what would happen next….until Doodledraw raised her head up first and said, "No." Drawing in everypony's attention, she told them all, "We may not be able to save the princesses, but we can rule Equestria as the Elements of Harmony. This will not result in chaos! Twi, you're Princess Celestia's most faithful student. If she were to die, she would want you to take the throne. But if she will die or not, harmony and friendship will always prevail!"

Everypony clopped for her impressive speech. Suddenly, Twilight's crown floated off her head and glowed again. It said, "_Doodledraw, who supports her friends in the darkest of moments and pushes them on, represents the Element of Confidence!_" A necklace appeared on her of a yellow gem that was shaped like the pencil on her cutie mark with a beam of light, and the crown fell back on Twilight's head.

"DD!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "I can't believe it was you all along! That's why the crown didn't beep! She was right in front of us the whole time!" DD stuttered, "B-but I don't want to be an Element of Harmony!" The purple unicorn wearing the crown stated, "We don't choose what path we take. Do you really think I wanted to make friends? But then I found out how much magic is in having them."

Twilight then turned to the two dying allicorns and announced, "Alright, girls, let's restore these royals!" Just as she tried to activate the spell, Fire Twilight, her loyal coltfriend came in. He said, "Twilight! I heard you were here!"

"Why did you come here!?" Rainbow Dash asked, half-angry from him interrupting the spell. He answered, "I came to support my fillyfriend in all that she does." Fire put his hooves around his fillyfriend, and she hugged him back. As Twilight and Fire embraced in the hug, her horn and crown started to glow. The Elements of Harmony, all of them and Fire Twilight, levitated off the ground, Fluttershy asking, "What's happening?" Before they knew it, Fire and Twilight's eyes glowed with white light, the necklaces were activated, and the whole room was bathed in white light as the sun set.

The four new Elements woke up next to the five Elements of Harmony. Doodledraw was the first to look around, and gasp, "Twilight and Fire Twilight! They're gone!" Fluttershy, looking at the two allicorns still lying on the bed, asked, "Did we save them? Did it work?" Pinkie Pie noticed a bright light coming over the horizon and exclaimed, "Look! The sun's rising up from the…west?"

"Yeah, it was based on one of my dad's songs," somepony answered, not giving the ponies in the room time to jump to conclusions. The owner of the voice, a yellow allicorn with a light blue mane, teleported into the room with another allicorn, who was purple and had a long, navy blue mane. They almost looked like…

"Twilight! Fire!" The other Elements exclaimed, recognizing them immediately. They all gathered around the two allicorns and gave them a group hug, which pretty much meant hugging their legs due to their taller height. Twilight started, "We awoke to find ourselves turned into allicorns by the Elements' magic. We didn't know how to explain it…"

"…until we found that Celestia and Luna were dead," Fire Twilight continued. "I know it sounds bad, but this is what they would've wanted. Celestia would've especially wanted Twilight to carry on the royal legacy." Twilight blushed at his words and stated, "I guess you can call us Princess Twilight and Prince Fire now." They all bowed at the hooves of their new rulers.

Pinkie Pie was the first to get up and ask, "You know what this calls for? A party!" And indeed, there was a feast and all of Canterlot and the rest of Equestria was invited that night. There, Twilight announced that she would lower and raise the moon, and Fire Twilight would raise and lower the sun.

Fire Twilight also announced that he would officially change his last name to "Dawn" because of his new title as Prince of the Sun. He also stated, at the end of a speech, "Under our rule, there will be no devastation, mayhem, or chaos we can't handle!" The crowd cheered, but just outside the castle, trouble was brewing.

A few ponies had gathered around in the CanterlotSculptureGarden. There were many statues representing many things, but one stood out from all of those. Now, the subject of this sculpture seemed to be in fear, almost as if he _didn't _want his sculpture made.

Under that statue that night, a group of friends had gathered. That night, they came as friends, and anyone who knew them knew that nothing broke their friendship apart. However, they left the garden insulting one another and fighting until they were black and blue. Little did anypony know, but the statue gained a crack just under its eye.

_Au contraire, ma nouvelle princesse…_


End file.
